Protect Morgan
by Blackwolfhunting
Summary: Endgame Spoilers! Don't read if you haven't seen. Peter has lost enough in his life and refuses to allow Morgan on that list as well, so he'll do anything to help her no matter where or when. Or the five times Peter helped Morgan Stark and the one time she helped him.
1. Protection from the Misery

Chapter One

Protection from the Misery

It'd been a day after the funeral and memorial.

He knew that he shouldn't be taking it as hard as he was. There was no reason for it since there were people who had known him better and had been closer to him.

Happy had been closer to him than he had been.

Colonel Rhodes had been closer to him than he had been.

Mrs. Stark had been closer to him than he had been.

His daughter, Morgan, had been closer to him than he had been.

His five year old daughter.

He couldn't help but laugh at the thought that he had been gone for five years and he had no idea about it.

_Pain lanced up and down his spine. He could feel it coming, could feel it seep down into his bones, and he could feel it as it tore apart his bones and organs and skin. He was falling apart and he could feel it with every molecule that was destroyed. He fought it, fought it hard, but there was little he could really do but slow it._

_ "Mr. Stark…I-I do-don't fee-feel so good."_

He shook his head as he stared at the screen in front of him. One of the holographic screens that Mr. Stark had kept in his private lab in his cabin. The basement like it almost always was.

His hands quickly ran over all the codes and information and projects that Mr. Stark had been working on for his company or for his own entertainment. Each project hadn't really been finished as it hadn't been the man's priority anymore. No, he had something much more important than the projects in his basement.

He growled to himself as he brought up the schematics for what seemed to be a new ventilator for comatose patients. That looked interesting as it was based on the nano-technology that Mr. Stark had completed. He could start on this project and then present it to Mrs. Stark, which still blew his mind as he had missed the wedding, so that she could present it to the committee.

"Friday, pull up all specks for the Nano-Ventilation System. Give me all the materials that Mr. Stark was going to use." He ordered the computer system.

"Of course Peter." Friday instantly did as told and pulled up all the information, including the one that had been used to make Mr. Stark's Iron Man armor. The Bleeding Edge project.

He grinned sadly at the information before diving head first into it.

He couldn't save him in the end.

He couldn't even help him.

But this, this he could do.

He could keep the company running with his inventions fully completed and maybe take some strain off of Mrs. Stark when she was forced to return as CEO of Stark industries.

He could Mr. Stark's legacy running even with the man himself gone.

So that was what he was going to do.

PM

"Thank you so much for allowing him access to Tony's lab." May said as she sat on the couch next to Pepper, Morgan playing somberly with her toys on the floor in front of them. "He's going to be like this for a while." She stared sadly down at her tea, remembering all the two times the boy had done this before, the second the worse than the first.

Pepper nodded her head, staring at her own cup of tea. "It's not like it'll get much use otherwise. Tony was the only one who ever understood what was happening in there. Most of it I don't even understand the basics of." She chuckled humorlessly. "Will he be alright in there though? I know he worked with Tony before but will he understand all of what's in there?" Her own worry for the boy came through her own grief. A lot of the projects down there were dangerous and she wasn't sure about letting the teen mess with them.

"If there's one thing Peter has been holding back on, it's his brains." She admitted. "More so than his own super strength. He's been holding back so that he could stay with his friends in high school. He could have been in college at twelve and graduated at fifteen if he had wanted to." She explained as her head turned towards the stairs where the lab was located at the end of. She could hear some bangs and cursing, telling her that Peter was hard at work. "He just wanted to be a normal kid for a while before he really pushed himself."

The CEO stared at the woman in disbelief for a long while before her own eyes moved towards where the lab was. Maybe it was much worse than she thought it would be if the kid was as smart as Tony. Especially if his coping mechanism was anyway similar to Tony's own. "What exactly does he do when he's grieving?" She questioned as she looked at the other woman, worry running through her mind. She hoped it wasn't anything as bad as Tony but that boy was more alike with the man than she wanted to admit. It drove her nuts.

May smiled sadly as she set her tea on the side table and then clasped her hands together. "He makes things. Builds them from scratch. When he was six and his parents died in the plan crash, he created designs for a new plane that would minimize chances of crashes and then we had the design sold. A solid twenty five thousand dollars that we put in a savings account for college."

"He was six?" Pepper questioned, eyes wide in disbelief. "Oh dear, this is sounding much too familiar for me." She held a hand up to her mouth. She was half tempted to run down there and pull the boy out of the room that instant.

"Yes, very smart. The next time he went through that was when Ben died. That lasted much longer than when he was six and the things he built…." She gulped as she remembered the equipment piled in his room, the motherboards and circuits and wires and all sorts of other things. It had been an engineer tech's dream. "I realize now that they were equipment for his Spider-Manning now. He also built his own computer too and fixed my oven and made me my own computer too. Then he went to help our land lord update the security and power of the building. He did a lot more as well that I probably don't know about." She shrugged her shoulders.

"He could be in there for days." Pepper's brow furrowed as she stood up and moved to the stairs. "We can't let him do this to himself."

"Pepper, please, just let him be." May grabbed a hold of the woman's arm, knowing that the red head would try and pull Peter out and that would just make things worse. "This is how he grieves. He'll come out of it when he's ready, so just be patient and let him be."

The CEO wanted to refuse, knowing how destructive that attitude could be to an individual. She had watched Tony do it for years and he hadn't been able to rest until he had died saving the world. He had worked himself almost to death, building things that could be used to save the people he cared for or protect them. "What do we need to do until he comes out?" She questioned instead of voicing those thoughts.

"Just take food in and drinks in, make sure he's doing ok. He might not eat or drink it right away or at all, but it'll be there for him when he's ready to eat." She explained calmly. "Other than that, just stay out of his way, especially now that he has those powers. I don't reckon either of us could drag him out even if we wanted to."

Pepper sighed as she nodded her head and sat back down on the couch, staring down at her little girl. "I didn't realize just how close those two had gotten."

"Neither had I." The two sipped at their teas once more as they allowed their minds to wonder to those they loved and lost.

PM

"How long has he been down there?" Rhodey asked as he looked down the stairs with furrowed brows. "Has he come up at all?" This was starting to get disturbingly familiar in a way that he had never thought he'd have to deal with again.

"This is going on the third week." Pepper sighed tiredly as she stood next to the man. "I've just barely gotten him up here long enough to shower and then he's back down there to work." She rubbed at her face, wondering if she needed to call in Bruce to drag the kid out or not.

"Has he eaten at all?" The man questioned as he maneuvered his wheelchair around to face the woman. His bionic legs hadn't been able to get fixed and the only other person that could have fixed them was no longer there. "Drank or slept?"

"Some of the plates we've taken down have been empty but most we've brought back up full. He is drinking the water though, at least that's what Friday told me." She grimaced as she motioned for the man to follow her back to the living room. Morgan was with May at the moment, baking cookies in the kitchen, to try and distract her from the absence of her father. "From what she's told me as well…kid hasn't slept since he got down there, not really. He passes out for a bit and then he's back up and working again."

Rhodey sighed as he stopped in front of the couch while Pepper took a seat on it. "We can't just let him stay down there like this. He'll kill himself at this rate." He thought of ideas to try and get the kid out and maybe the other people he could call to get him out as well.

There was Harley who had kept in contact with Tony since the whole extremis fiasco. Though the kid had gone back to his home in Tennessee and he wasn't sure he'd come back to help another kid while he was grieving as well.

Then there was Bruce who was on an intellectual level that could keep up with the kid, just like he had with Tony. Though he had disappeared into New York to begin work on a book he wanted to write about all that had happened. He didn't expect to see the giant green man anytime soon.

Wanda knew what it was like to lose multiple people one after another and could help Peter cope with the emotions. She could also pull him out of the lab with her powers as that seemed what it would take to get the kid out of there. That would mean they'd have to go hunt her down at Clint's farm, where she had been invited to stay and recuperate while the Avengers Facility was rebuilt in a new location.

Speaking of Clint, he could definitely help. The man had lost his entire family and had suffered greatly for it to such lengths that he had gone down a dark path. There was a chance the man could help Peter express those emotions, but that was only if he could pull the man away from his family.

Sam was still trained as a counselor and would happily help out. Only he had disappeared sometime after the battle. No one knew where he had gone and it only got worse when they realized that Bucky had gone with him as well. Either one of them would have been perfect to help Peter through this but neither were around at the moment.

He wasn't even sure where Steve had gone. No one but Sam and Bucky had seen the man since after the battle.

He would talk to the kid but at the moment, the only way he was walking around was if he got into a War Machine suit, otherwise he was stuck in the wheelchair until new braces could be engineered for him. Which meant no stairs for him at the moment.

"What are we going to do?" He groaned in annoyance, knowing that they needed to do something before the kid ran himself into the ground.

"Nothing." Pepper sighed out as she glanced towards the kitchen where she could smell burnt cookies. May really shouldn't have been the one baking cookies with her daughter but she needed something fun to do while waiting for her nephew to make a reappearance. "We let him do as he please until he's ready to come out. At least, that's what May said to let him do."

The Colonel frowned but nodded his understanding. "Are we sure this kid isn't Tony's long lost son?"

"I've had him tested, trust me when I say they aren't."

"I'm not sure if that makes this worse or better."

PM

"Peter?" Pepper called as she entered the lab, taking in all the different inventions that were littering the floor of the place. Most of them were all completed and held pieces of paper on them to label and explain what they do. "Hey, it's time for you to come up and take a shower." She said as she walked over to the table the boy was sat at, tinkering with a little square box of some sort.

"I'll take one later. I've almost got this finished." Peter grumbled as he held the welder in his hand carefully. He had started on this little project the other night after he had completed the braces that Tony had outlined for Colonel Rhodes. He'd have to take those to the man once he was done down here.

The woman frowned and put her hands on her hips, glaring down at the teen who didn't seem to care she was there at all. "You have been down here for days since your last shower, you need to go up and get a shower and maybe a nap." She stated firmly. "Don't make me activate the Exhausted Tony Protocol."

That made the teen pause and look over his shoulder at the woman. She had already used that protocol before, which had shut everything in the lab for a full day. He hadn't been able to continue building until the next day, but that hadn't stopped him from using a tablet and continuing on blueprints instead.

Though he didn't want that to be activated again so he sighed. "Fine. I'll go and take a shower, but I'm coming back down to finish this afterwards." He stated as he motioned towards the little red and gold box. He really wanted to finish this little gem he had found in Mr. Stark's files.

He felt it would help out a lot more than they all would expect.

Pepper frowned but nodded her head. "I want you to bring some food down after as well. You need to eat more, especially with your enhanced Metabolism." Her eyes roved over the too thin body of the teen that had been nothing but muscle a month ago. He was paler and the dark bags under his eyes could care the entire Iron Legion in them. She was tempted to pinch his skin to see if he was dehydrated as well.

Peter rolled his eyes but nodded along with the woman's demand. "Whatever. I'll go take that shower then. Friday, save all data on Project MMB5." He ordered.

"Already done Peter." She replied, her voice much more quiet than normal, as if she herself was mourning the loss of her boss. "It is 2:55AM, I suggest you get some sleep after your shower."

"Thanks for the advice but I'll be back down." He stated before looking over at Pepper. "Is my Aunt sleeping here again?"

She nodded her head as she followed the teen out of the lab. "She's asleep at the moment, she had a full day of playing with Morgan and me." She smiled at the memories of the older woman helping keep her daughter preoccupied. The young girl hadn't fully comprehended that her daddy wasn't coming back.

Most nights she was busy comforting the child as she cried out for Tony over and over again.

It broke her heart each time she listened to the child.

"Well, I'm going to bed. I hope you get some sleep as well Peter." She ran her hand over the boy's hair before cupping the back of his neck. She had seen Tony do it to the teen before and it had relaxed him then, she hoped it gave him some comfort now.

He sighed as he leaned back into the hold and shrugged his shoulders. "I doubt it. You get some sleep though, I heard you'll be taking the reins back at Stark Industries here soon. You'll need all the strength you'll need to get through it."

Pepper smiled at him and leaned over, kissing his cheek. "Yeah, I know. You'll need just as much strength for when you go back to school." She countered.

Peter sent her a tired grin before walking away from the woman. Seeing her here, eyes filled with sorrow and pain from her loss, it burned him greatly. He wished he could have done more to protect her husband but Peter just hadn't been strong enough.

He shook his head as he jumped into the shower and allowed the warm water to run over his body. It was nice but his muscles refused to relax and he ached from how tense they were.

The shower didn't last long, he just washed his hair and washed his body before jumping out of the shower. He smiled at the clothes laid out for him, just like it had been the last few times this had happened.

An AC/DC shirt with a pair of sweats.

He gulped as he pulled the shirt over his head, the scent that was so familiar and comfortable still on the fabric.

He slammed his eyes closed as tears threatened to fall.

He thought he had run out of tears to cry but apparently he still had plenty.

He sniffed as he wiped at his eyes and finished dressing. He walked out of the shower and stopped in the hallway, listening to the people in the cabin carefully.

His Aunt May was sleeping with Mrs. Stark again, probably making sure she was comforted when the woman would eventually wake with tears in her eyes and sobs in her throat.

Happy was breathing softly in his own room, deeply asleep from a long day of protecting what little was left of the Stark family and trying to get Peter out of the lab.

Colonel Rhodes was awake but was quietly laying in his bed at the moment, not moving. He was probably thinking about his best friend again. Peter really needed to get those upgraded braces to the man so he could walk around again.

Then he listened in to where Morgan was supposed to be sleeping. He blinked though when he heard the sound of sniffles and hiccups. The kid was awake and crying from the sound of it.

He hesitated for several long moments, trying to decide on what to do. He thought about going and getting Mrs. Stark or his Aunt May, but the two of them had been exhausted from what he saw of them throughout the day. Happy and Colonel Rhodes were in the same states and so he wasn't going to bother.

He'd have to go and help her himself.

With that in mind he walked over to the door and opened it. The room itself was a typical little girl's room, stuff toys and pictures of puppies and kitties and some of her and Tony and Pepper, and then the frilly bed sheets and blankets. He could see the little nightlight that was a rose in a lightbulb that was put in a pot. It glowed a pink and green that gave off just enough light for him to see as if it was daytime.

He looked over to the bed and saw little Morgan sitting up in her bed, hands over her mouth to stifle her sobs, big fat crocodile tears falling down her red splotched cheeks. Her brown hair was messy around her face and her little white pajama sleeves were soaked, most likely with snot and tears.

"Hey there." He said as he walked over to her, shifting nervously as he stood at the side of her bed. He wasn't sure what to do but steeled himself as he sat on the edge of her bed and stared at the floor.

He listened to cry for what seemed like ever. He was sure she was exhausted at this point but he knew from experience that she wouldn't be able to sleep. It would be a wasted effort to try and make her too. "You miss him, don't you?" He questioned her quietly.

He looked over to her and caught the nod of her head. "I-I wa-want my-my Da-dadd-dy." She sobbed out as tears and snot ran down her face.

Peter bit his lip before reaching over and pulling the child into his lap, face in his chest, and ran a hand through her hair. "I know." He said as he felt his eyes blur and sting. He didn't try and hide the tears from her as they fell down his face. "I-I want him h-he-re too." He buried his nose into her hair and just held her from there as they both sobbed.

There was nothing he could really do to make this better. Nothing would ever make the feeling of losing a father any better. He would know, he had managed to lose three of them now.

The only thing he could really do was just comfort her while she cried and try and make the longing for the man as better as he could.

His mind wandered to the project he had in the lab and looked down to the little girl in his lap. She hadn't fallen asleep even though her sobbing and crying had faded some. He knew that neither of them were going to be able to sleep tonight and so he stood up, taking the girl with him as he did.

He didn't bother saying anything as he took the child with him down into the lab with him. He didn't have anything dangerous out at the moment and so it would be safe to settle the girl in his lap and let her watch him work.

"You know…" He said as he welded some wires together as Morgan watched with tired and dead looking eyes. "Your dad was a great man but he was a big dork too." He chuckled as he remembered some of the interactions he had had with the man. They would banter back and forth like crazy when they were in the lab. "I remember when he caused an explosion during one of our lab meets and he blamed it on me when your mom came down to find out what had happened."

"Daddy was silly like that." Morgan agreed as she rubbed at her eyes tiredly. "He never let me down here though."

"Probably because a lot of what he worked on was dangerous." His eyes flickered over to where some of the Iron Man Suits were set up at the moment. Nanotech suits and older suits as well. They were all locked down at the moment as Peter didn't want anyone touching them until he had gone over the blueprints to figure out how to replicate or improve upon them. He already knew that Colonel Rhodes was going to continue as War Machine and would need them in his line of work.

"Why am I down here?" She looked around before looking back to where Peter finished up welding some of the wires together and then began the task of closing the casing.

"I didn't think you wanted to be alone or sleep tonight." He knew that it was normally detrimental to a child's growth if they didn't get enough sleep, but he wasn't going to try and force her to when he wasn't going to sleep either. That'd make him a hypocrite and that was the last thing he wanted to do. "Thought you might like to keep me company instead while I finished this."

"What is it?" She pointed at the box as Peter quickly sealed the box completely before pressing a button on the side, frowning when nothing happened. "Is it not working?"

"IT was something your dad designed." He explained as he pulled open one of the sides that showed glowing circuits and gizmos. There was even a mini Arc Reactor inside that was apparently powering up the little box. He probed for a second before grunting in surprise. He picked up the soldering iron again and quickly hit a spot before sealing the box again. He pressed a button once more.

Morgan gasped when the sound of piano came through, playing a familiar song that her daddy had played for her on his piano. It only got better though when a little blue light came up from the top of the box and a holographic image appeared. "Daddy?" She cried out in surprise.

It was indeed Tony in the image, but it was of him sitting at a grand baby piano, a small smile on his face as he played the instrument. He looked like he had always looked, if a little more gray in his hair and beard. He lacked the sunglasses and wore an AC/DC shirt and blue jeans.

It was a little video that he had Friday find for him and thought that it would be perfect for the little girl that missed her father so desperately.

"He was designing this for you before everything happened." He explained, hugging the around her waist and dropping his chin on her head. They both watched the image as the song began to come near an end. "I thought I'd finish this for you so that you can always have something of your dad near to you."

He held the child as she began to sob once more, crying for the man that was playing the piano. He pressed the button again when it ended and the song and image popped back up. The two children watched the video over and over again, crying together in misery and sorrow. Both desperately missing the man that had such a powerful role in their lives.

He couldn't tell how long they sat there and watched the Music Box, all he could say was that sitting there with the daughter of Mr. Stark and crying with her lifted something that had sat on his chest for far too long.

He wasn't sure when they both fell asleep. Peter's arms wrapped around securely the little girl while her head was settled against his chest while his head was leant against her own.

It was the best sleep either child had had in a long time.

PM

"Morgan!" Pepper cried out in worry as she ran around the cabin, looking for her daughter. The child hadn't been in her room when she went to wake her up. She had ran to Happy's room and woke the man up to help, May already running around yelling for the child. "Happy, Morgan is missing!"

The man leapt up from the bed in a fluster, eyes blinking rapidly as he tried to wake himself up more. "Wha?" he questioned as he stared at her with confusion. "Morgan?"

"She's missing! Help me find her!" She hollered before leaving the room and running to Rhodey's room. "Rhodey, wake up! Morgan is missing."

"Have you asked Friday where she is?" He questioned as he was already moving into his wheelchair to help find the child. He had heard the shouting and had gotten ready as quickly as he could.

That made the woman pause and her panic to halt. "Shit, no I haven't." She growled at herself before taking a deep breath. "Friday, do a search for Morgan."

"She is currently down in the lab with Peter." Was the instant reply that had the two adults turn to each other with wide eyes.

"She's not supposed to go down there!" Pepper cried as she took off for the lab stairs, Happy and May meeting her there. "Why would Peter take her down there!? He knows how dangerous it is!"

"Peter wouldn't take her down if he didn't think she'd be safe." The Aunt assured as comfortably as she could. "You know he would never endanger her like that."

"Kid doesn't even know the little Stark." Happy snarled as he lumbered down, Rhodey left at the top of the stairs due to his wheelchair. "Not to mention he's done too many reckless things in the past before. This shouldn't be as surprising as it is."

Pepper shook her head as she slid to a stop in front of the lab doors and put the code in quickly and ripped the door open. She stopped though when the lights came on, telling her that no movement had been made in at least thirty minutes. "Peter! Morgan!" She called as she ran over to where the wheelie chair was.

She whipped around to face it and came to a dead stop at what she saw.

May and Happy came to a dead stop as well and stared at the scene that they saw.

The two kids were clinging to each other, their faces completely tearstained and their cheeks blotchy pinks and reds. It had obviously been a hard night for both of them.

Pepper took a deep breath before looking around the area, taking in the soldering iron that was unplugged and pushed way out of the way and that the finished projects were held behind a wall of glass windows with a code to get into them. The only real thing that had been left out was a red and gold box that sat in front of the two with a little button that was on top of the box.

There wasn't a single dangerous thing left out that could harm her child.

She took a deep breath before looking at the two children again. "Friday, how long have they been asleep?" She questioned quietly.

"Four hours and seventeen minutes."

She looked at the other two with a soft look on her face. "That's over eight times more than what he's been sleeping lately."

May was smiling even as Happy frowned. "He still shouldn't have brought her down here. What if she had gotten into something while he was passed out?" He pointed out.

"Everything is put away and the only real thing is unplugged and pushed out of her reach." May stated before walking over and tugging on Peter's hand that was pressed against the little girl's back. The two other's tried to stop her but watched in disbelief as the hand refused to budge. "Besides, he's stuck himself to her to stop her from going anywhere."

The boy hadn't twitched at the hand pulling at him and instead slept steadily.

The two other adults could only stare in disbelief before a giggle ripped from Pepper. "Wow, who knew he could be such a good babysitter." She said happily.

"Oh, yeah, he's actually pretty good with kids if he's not a little shy at first." May looked back at Peter as she pulled out her phone and snapped a picture real quick, Pepper following her lead and doing the same. "He'll get attached to her real fast, I can tell you that much from just looking at them now."

Pepper couldn't even say she was mad about that morning panic now that she could see the two children that Tony had so loved holding onto each other. "Maybe we should leave them here for now." She whispered as she looked at them softly. "Peter needs as much sleep as he can get and this is the first peaceful rest Morgan has had in a while."

Happy rolled his eyes but nodded his head. "Fine, I'm heading up to get some coffee." He said as he turned and left the room.

"I'll go and let Rhodey know not to panic." May said next as she followed the other man up out of the room, but only after she had placed a kiss on Peter's forehead and ruffled the little girl's hair.

Pepper stood there for a long moment, her eyes eventually drifting to the little box that sat on the table. Her own curiosity got the better of her and she pressed the button on top of the box, gasping when _My Little Sunshine _began to play out, followed by a holographic image of Tony playing on the piano.

She didn't even try and stop the tears that fell down her face.

PM

A.N. Alright, so I'm doing the whole 5+1 thing! This one is going to be about Peter just being there for Morgan, no matter the situation. I know it says protecting Morgan but this just about the teen being there for her when she needs him. This is the start of it and I want to tell people that if you read this, there are definitely going to be spoilers so if you haven't seen EndGame yet, don't read this. I don't want to ruin the movie for anyone so just don't read this if you haven't seen it yet. I hope you all understand that and don't get mad because I'm putting warnings as many times as I can. With that, I hope for those who read this liked it and review and let me know what you all think.

I would like everyone to think about some of the authors on Fanfiction that died recently or a while ago. Some of them died in tragic accidents or illnesses and have left stories unfinished or had others finish them for them in memory. I would like everyone reading this to lower their heads, clasp their hands together and pray for those who have been lost. Allow there to be a moment of silence for wherever you, the reader, are and remember not just the writers here on this site but those who have been lost in your life or in tragic events.

Please remember that life is short and that you should love those in your life while you can and show your appreciation for water comes into your life.

Again, thanks to those who have lost their lives for spreading inspiration through their works.

I've written a story that wasn't exactly all cuddles and snuggles and some of the

comments made my blood turn to ice. I worry for those who suffer from abuse of any form or depression of any form and so I decided to look for numbers to offer to those who need them. So I hope all of those who need one or more of these numbers will make use of them.

You all are loved and I pray that none of you give up on your life because of the assholes around you. Know that we are here for you and all you need do is reach out and we'll all help where we can.

Suicide: 1-800-273-8255

Bullying: 1-800-420-1479

Self-Harm:1-800-366-8288

Sexual Assault: 1-800-656-4673

Lifeline: 1-800-784-8433

Greif Support: 1-650-321-3438

Depression: 1-630-482-9696

Drug/Alcohol: 1-877-235-4525

Eating Disorder: 1-630-577-1330

Mental Health: 1-800-442-9673

Abuse: 1-800-799-7233


	2. Protection from the Dead

Chapter Two

Protection from the Dead

It was moving on into the sixth month since Mr. Stark's death.

He knew that he needed to leave the lab.

He knew that he should return to that little apartment with his aunt.

He knew that he should go back to being Spider-Man.

That didn't mean he was going to anytime soon. Not when he still had this gigantic ache in his chest that wasn't lessoning even a little bit. To survive that ache he worked in the lab, building and creating and coming up with things that could help people.

Pepper was forever thankful for the help in the creations, knowing that without Mr. Stark, that part of the company would fall drastically and the board would most likely pressure her to return to weapons to keep stocks up.

Peter wasn't about to let that happen.

He had allowed Pepper to take his creations, more like forced her, and present them to the Board of Stark Industries. He made sure that she wasn't harassed about anything from that end and had even taken over the R&D of the department, along with all of the interns and their growth.

It had taken Mrs. Stark intervening though to get the scientist to actually listen to him, even if he was technically a sixteen year old kid that hadn't even graduated from high school yet.

The high school part had been taken care of though.

Peter had had May arrange for him to test out of the Midtown by taking the GED test. There hadn't been a reason to even bother going to the school since Ned and MJ had graduated from the school while he had been dust. That and he really didn't want to continue high school after everything he had been through.

He had then made sure to get signed up for college at MIT online. Mrs. Stark had used the ties that Mr. Stark had had so long ago to get him in without a hitch and she was paying for his classes as well. It also helped that she had listened to the idea of the payment of all of his inventions would go into a college fund so that he could continue to pay for classes if she decided to discontinue paying for them. This way he would get a degree and Aunt May wouldn't have to break her back trying to pay for college.

With that all of that done with, he had put those Stark Scientists in their place and made sure they followed all the regulations of the company by bringing all their projects, theories, and ideas to him for approval.

From there though, he hadn't really left the lab in the compound, and if he did, it was to go to Stark Industries itself or to the lab in the basement of Mrs. Stark's cabin in the woods.

He didn't even go out as Spider-Man.

IT was too much for him to handle at the moment and he knew that if he tried, than he would suffer from a Sensory Overload or panic attack.

He wasn't ready to put himself through that yet.

He sighed as he looked down at the project he had in front of him. It was Sam Wilson's wings and goggles. He looked off to the side where he could see Clint Barton's bow and arrows, Bucky's arm, and several other pieces of equipment.

That was the other thing.

Those left of the Avengers had been coming to him for gear upgrades or fixes. He was honestly surprised that they weren't going to T'Challa as the man had had his sister upgrade most of this stuff before. He was sure they all trusted the king and his sister more than himself. Especially as he had been the one to pin down both Falcon and the Winter Soldier back in the Leipzig airport.

But no, they were coming him for upgrades and fixes and really, Peter wasn't sure way.

No, wait, he did know why.

They were using the brief interaction with him to try and convince him to come out of the labs. To get out and socialize with the other surviving members of the Avengers. To celebrate the defeat of Thanos and the loss of their loved ones.

He refused every time they had tried.

He had sent them off with a wave of his hand or with a quick _Thwip _of webs to their mouth or eyes. That always made them leave afterwards. They had to go to Mrs. Stark or May to get the dissolvent. Something they had done on purpose to make them leave him alone.

He looked over at the clock next and sighed. It was that time of the day where they were going to send someone to try and pull him out of the lab again.

He wondered who it was going to be this time.

Maybe they would get desperate and send Bruce in to drag him out forcefully. He doubted that though as the man was still suffering from his injuries from the fight and from using the Infinity Stones.

He shook his head to displace the thought. "FRIDAY, start up Mr. Stark's favorite tracks please?"

Only a second later did High to Hell come up and he returned to recalibrating the wings that Falcon used so often. He also made sure to add some upgrades such as faster release of the wings and folding of them. He also made the ends of the wings much sharper and easier to control while in the air. He'd also added on the magnets the man had asked for that were like Captain's own magnets to hold his shield. He wasn't exactly sure why the man wanted them but he did as asked anyways.

He made sure to keep the music high but he had programmed it to shut off the moment the lab door was opened for someone to enter.

So when the music stopped on a Black Sabbath song, he wasn't surprised to hear footsteps. "I wonder who came to convince me to leave the lab this time." He said aloud, concentrating on finishing up on the Wings. He almost had the magnets fully installed and wanted to finish it before he turned to whoever was there.

There wasn't a reply. He listened though as those steps moved slowly before the sound of one of the rolling chairs was pulled closer and then the person sat down. There was a smell that wafted over to him, reminding him of the smell of some of the older individuals that he had saved in the past.

Someone that was in their golden years then.

Though he didn't really know anyone that old that could even try and convince him to leave the lab.

It didn't matter in the end because he didn't look up and the other didn't make a sound or move to interrupt him.

He had no clue how long it took to affix the magnets properly, but by the time he looked up from his work, he was ready to face his mystery guest.

Maybe it would be that one chick, the one that Fury had called Captain Marvel. Or maybe it was Clint or even Fury himself again. Though that smell of an older individual and something like metal and spice and the sense of a battle. It had to be someone that was older so all the ones he had listed didn't fit. None of them had that kind of scent to them, not even Fury who was getting up there in years.

"So, why did they send you?" He questioned as he turned his chair to face this person.

He blinked as his eyes came to rest on an older man in his seventies or eighties. His gray hair was swept back and out of his face, rather full for a man his age, along with wrinkly face and bright blue eyes that were much too clear and aware and full of energy. He were a brown jacket over a blue plaid button up shirt and wore brown slacks and brown loafers. There was a gold ring on his ring finger.

Peter stared at this man for a long time, wondering why he was here. He had never met this individual before in his life and to have him to just pop up now. Maybe he knew Tony or Sam was getting desperate and had sent in a veteran that could sympathize with Peter.

The old man didn't seem perturbed by the fact that he was getting stared at and instead gave a small smile and held out a hand to the teen. "It's nice to meet the boy that Tony fought so hard to get back."

He really didn't care who this man was now. Peter narrowed his eyes at the man before scoffing and turning back to his table, pushing the wings away and pulling Clint's bow close so he could go over the release mechanisms. The man had complained about them getting stuck but he couldn't see anything wrong with them and they released just fine when he closed and reopened it.

It had just been a way to get into the lab and talk to Peter.

He added arrows to the man's quiver that would release a bright pink smoke that would be blown backwards by a small fan. The smoke would then die all the hair it came into contact with.

Hawkeye would end up with bright pink hair as soon as he fired that arrow.

"You know, when he came back down to Earth, he tried to get to his lab just so he could find a way to save you." The man kept talking, apparently not offended about being blown off. "Just about killed himself that first week he managed to actually get in. He hadn't been in good shape when he got back to Earth from Titan. Malnourished, dehydrated, exhausted, and oxygen deprived."

Peter gritted his teeth and squeezed his hands so tightly that he snapped the wrench in his hand. Good thing he hadn't picked up the computer components in front of him or he would have just wasted a lot of money.

"And yet, all he could think at the time was to save you. To bring you home to your aunt and friends and to him." The man was quiet for a moment. "When he realized he didn't have a way to bring you back, he just built and built and invented and destroyed and built and invented and repeated it over and over." Peter could hear the man's hitch in his breathing before he gave a little huff and continuing. "It took almost a month before he finally left his lab to go to Pepper. They had Morgan nine months later."

"What do you want?" He gritted out as he turned back to the older man with a glare. "Why are you here? I don't even know you!" And it was true. This man had no reason to be here, no reason to speak to Peter, and no reason to act like he knew the teen when said teen didn't know him. Nothing about this man was recognizable and it was really starting to piss him off that this man was talking to him like he had any right to act like he knew him.

The old man didn't seem to mind the aggression that was starting to build up in Peter though and instead gave a low chuckle. It was raspy, like he had breathed in too much smoke at one time or another. "Come now Queens, you know exactly who I am."

Silence.

He stared at the old man, at Captain America, with wide eyes. There was no way the man could have done what he was showing Peter he had done. There just was no way. "You are lucky that it was apparently something that was going to happen or you could have completely screwed us all over from that crap you pulled." He ended up saying as he covered his eyes with his hands.

His mind was running a hundred miles per hour about what this idiot had done and the consequences that could have happened from it all. He could have messed it all up but apparently this was something that was going to happen no matter what. It was part of their time line, to have two Steve Rogers in the same time even if they weren't in the same place.

He had thought Mr. Wilson and Mr. Barnes had been joking when they had spoken about Mr. Rogers having stayed back in time. He had thought they were making a joke and kidding around and they had made it up. This…this was a disaster that had been avoided by pure luck.

"Yes, well, I finally took advice and took a chance to be selfish." Steve stated with a smile. "Even if it was rather selfish on my part."

"You could have ruined everything!" Peter shot up from his chair, glaring down at the old man now. He didn't care that this man had been a hero and had saved thousands if not millions of lives. He had just selfishly put all those lives he saved in danger. "Everything that Mr. Stark died for could have been in vain! It would have meant nothing!" The image of a little girl he had started allowing into the lab when he wasn't working on dangerous things came to mind. "You could have cost that little girl her life, a life that Mr. Stark fought so hard to save." He growled.

Mr. Rogers stared at him with a raised brow, legs crossed as his hands laid settled against the arms of the chair. "And yet you seemed intent on wasting the life Tony worked so hard to bring back here in this lab." He returned calmly. "That little girl sees you down here more than up there at the dinner table."

Peter wanted to scream.

Why was it that only May and Mrs. Stark seemed to understanding that this was him grieving. That this was him going through the process of figuring all the feelings out. He had done this when his parents died and when Ben had died. This was just him working out everything that had happened to him.

It didn't help that he was still trying to get over turning to dust. HE remembered it vividly and he remembered the pain and terror and agony he had gone through. He even remembered bits and pieces of what had happened to him afterwards as well. Most of the people that came back didn't and just assumed they had died and gone to heaven or the blackness of nothing or maybe even got reborn.

No. That's not what happened at all.

Peter remembered the bright orange color that had surrounded him. The sounds of discontent voices and moans and groans.

He remembered the ever constricting pain of being surrounded by that orange glow.

It hadn't been until after the battle and that first night that he had figured out where they had been held. They had been held in the Soul Stone and the pain Peter had suffered had been from his Spidey-Senses trying to tell him about the danger.

Now he dreamed about it all when he closed his eyes.

"I'm not wasting my life." He snarled at the Captain. "You don't get to judge me for my grieving when you couldn't ever move on yourself." He waved a hand at the man's body. "You and Mr. Stark were and are hypocrites. So don't try and tell me I'm wasting it all when I'm just grieving, trying to process, coming to terms I'm alive! Again!" He shouted.

Steve's brows furrowed and he frowned. "What do you mean 'again'?"

Peter stared at the man with his own confusion. Did the man come in here to lecture him when he didn't know anything about him? Even Mr. Stark knew about it as he had taken the time to both research and talk to him about it. "I…" He gulped before shaking his head. "You came here with no information and you're lecturing me when you have no clue how I feel. I suggest you leave now." He nodded towards the door and then sat back in his chair. "FRIDAY, pull up schematics for project WSG41."

He knew that Steve was still there, watching him as he went over the schematics, adjusting and changing things with the weapons that he was currently working on for Bucky. It also included adjustments to his arm and the possible construction of a new lazy arm for the man to use around the facility.

He huffed in irritation as he listened to the raspy breathing of the man and the steady heartbeat that spoke of perfect health for a man that was in his hundreds. That damn serum worked too well, especially since Peter was the one stuck dealing with the man behind him.

"Why don't you explain to me about what I don't know then?" He questioned, making Peter scowl angrily. "Explain what I don't understand so I can see where you are coming from. So I can understand what you're going through and what you're feeling."

He wanted to flip the old bastard of and tell him to get out. To leave him alone so he could grieve like he always did. It was no one's business but his own on how he dealt with his emotions.

But at the same time, he knew that he needed to talk to someone. He didn't want to talk to Mrs. Stark or May because it would just burden them more than they already were. Mrs. Stark had Morgan and the company to run and May had gone back to work and was trying to hide the bottles of heart medication from him.

He didn't need to add on to their own troubles.

He didn't want to talk to any of the other Avengers because they couldn't understand or didn't understand him and his relationship with Mr. Stark well enough to understand. He wasn't close with any of them, not even Colonel Rhodes who he had spoken the most with before shit hit the fan.

So really, he should talk to someone but should it really be the one that he had kicked in the face?

"My parents died when I was six." He didn't even think much more about it and just started, keeping his eyes on the screens in front of him. "I was close to my dad before he and mom left for their trip. The airplane they were on crashed and no one survived." He swiped a hand over his cheek, ignoring how sweaty he was getting. It didn't matter if the room was a cool temperature as that was sweat he was wiping away.

He remembered his parents. Both of them. Maybe not vividly but he remembered how his mother would sing him to sleep and hold him close during thunderstorms. He remembered how his father would let him sit in his lap and they would both go over chemical compositions and equations for his father's work. They had loved him and had been so warm for the time he had had with them.

"I was given to my Aunt May and Uncle Ben after that. They took me in and raised me. They were like my parents after a time even if I didn't call them that. I loved and love them still." He swiped a hand at the screen and wiped away some of the equations there, they had been too weak and he needed to come up with a stronger equation to make sure the firing would be powerful to pierce titanium. "Then, I got bit by the spider that gave me my powers and about a month later, my Uncle Ben was shot."

He remembered that night vividly. It had been just before Christmas and it had been snowing. He had gone out after a fight with his Navy Seal Uncle that had gotten on him about a fight he had gotten into at school. His uncle had gone out looking for him.

He hadn't been too far from Peter, and so they had both heard the screaming of a woman from an alley that Peter had ignored the sounds of whimpering from earlier. They had both ran into the alley, Ben had been closer and had shown up before Peter.

It had been a woman with a gun held to her head and being forced to remove her clothes. Ben had lost it at the déjà vu moment and had ran straight for the two, hands coming to grab at the gun.

Unfortunately the man hadn't been as caught off guard and as soon as he had managed to turn the gun just enough and fired.

Peter had held his uncle in his arms as he bled out while the shooter had been knocked out cold after the teen had slammed his fist full force into his head.

Last he had heard, the man still hadn't woken up.

"Now, Mr. Stark died saving the world." He ignored how sweaty his cheeks were at the moment as he swiped the screen away and an image appeared instead.

It was the picture of him and Mr. Stark, bunny ears behind each of their heads and his Internship certificate held upside down. He smiled sadly at the picture.

It was quiet for a long time, but Peter soon got enough courage up to turn to the old form of Captain America with tears running down his face and a wobble to his bottom lip. "Tell me Mr. Rogers, have you lost three father figures all in one lifetime?"

Steve could only stare in sorrow at the child in front of him for a long moment before sighing and shaking his head. "I can only really say I've only lost one father in my time. Other than that, I was able to get a second chance to get to the people I loved greatly. So I can't say I understand your pain." He admitted. He made sure he was making eye contact with those watery brown eyes though when he spoke next. "But hiding in a lab won't do anything. From what Sam and Bucky have told me, you hardly eat and drink or interact with anyone but Pepper, your aunt, and Morgan."

"I'm working on it." The boy sighed as he wiped at his face and then rubbed his eyes. "This takes time and it just gets harder every time I lose someone." He leaned back, keeping his hands against his eyes as another thought came to mind. "My Aunt doesn't have much longer either." Her heartbeat had been erratic and would stutter every now and then. It was getting worse and he could hear her struggling to breathe at night.

He was trying to prepare himself to walk up those stairs one of these nights to go and cover her face with a blanket. He already knew it was going to be him doing it as she had taken to sleeping in one of the guest rooms instead of with Pepper. It also sucked that he could hear all of their heartbeats even from way down here in the lab. Though he wondered if Happy would find her before he could get up there since he had taken to sneaking into her room lately.

"You know this how?" Steve questioned and Peter was forced to explain his thoughts at the moment, though he kept the Happy tidbit out of it. "I see. What will you do? Do you have a place you can stay when she does?"

Peter shrugged his shoulders. "I don't really know. I don't think she's expecting to die anytime soon, especially since I've come back from being dusted." He wanted to go and curl up in a tight ball and ignore everyone around him. He wanted to ignore that Mr. Stark was dead and that soon, his Aunt would be too. It didn't matter what they did at this point, there was no avoiding it even though that was all he wanted to do.

Steve sighed and nodded his head in understanding. "If you need anything, do call me." He laid a card on the table near Peter and stood up. He even held himself like he was anything but an old man and Peter really wanted a blood sample to do some tests on. "If you need help, just remember I'm not the only one here to give a helping hand." With that, Peter watched the soldier leave.

He was alone and now Peter didn't bother to hold back the sobs that had been ripping through his entire body for a while now.

He was surprised he could cry anymore after all the times before.

PM

It was about four more months after his visit from the Captain, eleven months after Mr. Stark's death, and the rest of the Avengers trying to pull him from the lab.

He couldn't say that he had left the lab more than he hadn't, but he was able to eat more and had no problem with May or Mrs. Stark or Morgan coming down to visit. He also would go up to eat dinner with them every night and read a bedtime story to Morgan most nights than not.

He made sure to go to the corporate buildings for meetings with Mrs. Stark and the Board members over his creations and some of Tony's old ones. He was making bounds in college and acing all of his classes easily. He was hoping to graduate from MIT soon, within the next year or so.

So he was getting better even if it was a slow going type of thing. It helped that he could be near Morgan most of the time as it comforted him and her both. It also allowed Mrs. Stark a break when she was overwhelmed at trying to raise a child and run a multi-billionaire company on her own. Even with Aunt May and Peter himself helping out as much as possible didn't mean any less stress for the poor red haired woman.

Happy helped where he could but there was still so much he couldn't do to help. He wasn't equipped to help little kids like Peter and his aunt were. More often than not he would get one of the women or take her down to Peter.

He was thankful that his aunt had agreed to let their lease fall and move all their things into a storage unit so that they could live with Mrs. Stark full time. Living with the woman reassured Peter more than anything. Mostly considering the condition of his aunt.

She tried to hide it, tried to reassure Peter that she was okay, but he could hear and see her decline. It wasn't so much she got super pale and skinny really fast, but he could see her lose some weight here and a little paler there. It was slow and most people wouldn't notice.

Most people weren't Spider-man with an IQ that could rival Richard Reeds and Tony Stark.

Peter didn't say a thing though. He just made sure the cooks made more heart healthy food and that she never ignored her phone when her alarm went off for her medication. There really wasn't much else he could say or do without her trying to lie about her condition and give her more stress.

It was just a waiting game for him at this point. Just wait for that erratic and slowing heartbeat to come to a stop.

At least she had had a good last year, he thought, as he twisted the screwdriver into the device that would be used to house actual hearts. It would be used to make them pump and keep them from decaying before they could be put into a new body to help another human live. He had decided to give his hand at this after he had found out his aunt's condition.

She had gotten to help in the care of Morgan, who had taken to the woman as quickly as Peter had. May had always wanted children of her own but hadn't been able to carry to term. She had lost so many children that she and Ben had decided to just give up. The pain hadn't been worth the effort in the end. So when Morgan had been offered to her one night when Mrs. Stark had needed a break and Peter was working on a dangerous experiment, she had leapt at the chance.

The child and woman had bonded quickly and easily. May got joy out of being with Morgan and Morgan had gotten joy of being with May.

Then there had been the dates.

Peter had dragged Happy outside when he had found out.

"You're dating my aunt." He stated with a glare at the man, arms crossed over his chest, and his back straight.

"Uh…" The man, for once, stared at the teen with a bit of fear. "Yeah, I'm dating your aunt." He got out as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"You do remember I'm Spider-Man, right?" At this Peter had uncrossed his arms and hit the little insignia he had been covering up, allowing his Iron Spider suit to cover his body but left his head uncovered. He wanted to intimidate but also make sure Happy could meet his eyes.

The man had paled almost instantly and gulped. Peter could smell the sweat coming off the other man now and hear his heartbeat speed up. Good, he needed to be scared, needed to know that harming his aunt in anyway was a very bad idea. "Yeah." The man took a step back as he watched the teen warily.

"Good, because that means you know exactly what'll happen to you if _you harm her_." He growled at the end as his hands fisted at his sides and his entire stance changed to shout danger.

Happy was almost shaking in fear at this point and was nodding his head quickly. "Yeah, kid, I won't hurt her on purpose." He agreed.

Peter narrowed his eyes more as he looked the man over, assessing what he had said before nodding and standing up fully once more. His suit retracted back into the little holder as the teen turned to leave. "No sex in the house either Happy, this place isn't soundproofed against super hearing." Was the last thing he said as he entered back into the cabin, leaving behind a terrified man.

And Happy had stuck true to his word. He had made his aunt happy once more. As far as Peter knew, they didn't have sex in the cabin while he was there, but he knew that wouldn't stop them entirely. That worried him greatly due to her heart condition and that amount of pressure could end up stopping it.

He shook his head as he let that thought go and tried to concentrate on the project once more but something was off. Something wasn't right in the cabin at the moment.

He huffed as he stood from the table and walked out of the lab. Maybe a shower would help him relax. He ran a hand through his hair and scrunched his nose at the greasy feel he got from it. Yeah, a shower would be a good idea.

He walked into the living room where the stairs were just off of and looked at a passed out Happy. The man was sprawled out in front of the TV with Nanny 911 playing.

Peter just threw a blanket over the sleeping man before moving to walk upstairs where all their bedrooms were with all of their things. That and a bathroom and office.

He paused in the middle of the hallway once he got there and closed his eyes, listening closely.

He could hear all the heartbeats in the house this way, normally he would listen to them from down in the lab but he could hear them much clearer up here. It calmed him to hear all the heartbeats, knowing that everyone was alive and okay and well.

He could hear Happy's resting heartbeat downstairs that had a slight arrhythmia every minute or so from his slightly overweight physique.

Mrs. Stark's strong and steady heartbeat that was normal and showed no signs of disease or irregular behavior. She was the epitome of a healthy heart.

Then there was the fast and quick little heartbeat of a child. Morgan, even when asleep, had a fast heartbeat that was normal for all children and would eventually slow as she got older.

Then there was Aunt May's that was…his body stiffened as he tilted his head and clenched his eyes closed. May's heartbeat had been highly irregular that day, going from strong to weak to fast to slow.

There was nothing now.

Peter gulped back a sob as he opened his eyes and walked over to the room that May and Happy had been sharing as of late. He didn't bother to knock and instead walked into the room and walking over to the bed.

It didn't matter if there wasn't a light on for him to see where he was going, he had better night vision due to the bite and had no problem moving around. He could see his aunt clear as day because of that.

She lay on her side, facing the door and her head laying on a folded arm and on her pillow. Her hair was sprawled out around her while the blankets was pulled up to her shoulders. Her face was calm and peaceful, eyes closed as if in sleep.

Peter knew better.

He crawled on the bed and laid in front of his aunt, taking in the peaceful face and the still chest. No breathing and he could feel the warmth from her body already draining. It hadn't been too long since she passed but he knew that performing CPR would not bring her back.

So he just laid there and stared at his aunt, taking in the shape of her jaw and the softness around her eyes. The color of her hair and how peaceful she looked.

He could already feel the tears on his face falling into the pillow he lay on and he didn't dare hold back the sob that built in his throat. "Oh, aunt May." He sobbed out as he reached out and laid a hand on her face. "Please, no Aunt May." He cried as he closed his eyes and curled up towards her, feeling the warmth that was still there. "Please…Please do-don't le-lea-lea-ve me to-too." He begged, already knowing it wasn't going to work. Her heart just hadn't been strong enough.

He was so consumed with grief and exhaustion that he didn't hear the little footsteps that wondered into the room. He didn't recognize the little heartbeat that was closing in on him.

He did notice when there was a dip at the end of the bed. "Peter?" Morgan called as she moved to be in between the teen and the cooling body. "Peter, why are you crying?"

The teen didn't waste a movement as he shot up and grabbed the child under her armpits, settled her against his side, and ran out of the room. He didn't try and stop his crying but he got himself together enough to hold the now startled child close to his chest.

He couldn't let her see May like this. He couldn't let her realize that another person in her life had disappeared and there was nothing that she could do about it. He had to protect her from seeing May like this and hope that eventually, just like the pain she felt from Mr. Stark leaving, that the pain of May leaving would become bearable.

He already knew the pain wouldn't be bearable for Peter. He had already lost too much and now he had lost more, but there was nothing he could do to lesson it. He would be stuck feeling like this the rest of his life.

But he could try and keep Morgan from feeling like this. Protect her from the pain of death that inevitably took away those they loved.

He ignored the startled cries and the tears she was giving at the moment as he moved out of the room and towards Mrs. Stark's instead. "I'm sorry." He murmured to the child in his arms, trying to calm her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He stated as he gave a hard knock and entered the room.

"Peter?" Mrs. Stark called as she reached over and turned the light on. "What's going on?" she asked as she took the young girl into her arms as soon as Peter held her out to her. "Why is Morgan up?"

Peter choked on his words for a moment. He had to be strong, had to be strong for himself and for Morgan and Mrs. Stark and Happy and everyone else that had ever known May. He had to.

"Pepper, I have to go and wake Happy." He told her. "I need you to stay in here with Morgan while me and Happy take care of a few things." With that he turned and left the room before she could say anything else.

He didn't sleep the rest of the night and he knew that Pepper and Happy didn't either.

PM

The funeral was short and sweet.

Every single one of the Avengers had shown up. Along with Ned and MJ, who he almost didn't recognize as they had grown over the years of him being dust. They all gave their condolences and then they watched as the casket was lowered into the ground next to where Ben was buried and next to his parent's graves.

He had held Morgan through the funeral, keeping her head in the crook of his neck and making sure that she didn't have to see the coffin lower. Even now he was trying to protect her from seeing Aunt May dead and buried, even though he knew that Mrs. Stark had already explained to the child that May wasn't coming back.

He had sat through that conversation with the little girl, blankly staring at the wall and keeping a hold of the little girl's hand in his own. He listened to her cry but he didn't dare cry with her there. He would have to suffer by himself later when no one was around.

He gulped heavily as the coffin began to be covered. He kept a tight hold on Morgan as he heard her begin to sniffle. He rubbed at her back for what seemed like forever, but was only until the grave was fully filled in.

At that point, it was only him, Morgan, Mrs. Stark, and Happy left. Ned and MJ both had flights to catch if they were going to make it back to their colleges and classes. Peter had told them not to miss anything as that wasn't what May would have wanted.

They stood their long after the grave had been filled and Peter only moved when the red headed woman placed a hand on his shoulder. "Let's go home Peter." She said quietly.

He knew she was talking about that little cabin in the woods that he had been living at.

But was it really home?

No, not really. Not when Mr. Stark and May weren't there.

A sniffle echoed in his ear from the exhausted little girl and he closed his eyes, hugging her close.

No, it wasn't home without May or Mr. Stark, but it could be with Morgan there. So maybe, one day, it could be.

PM

A.N. OH my god! What the hell did I just write! I'm a horrible person for doing this! Peter suffered enough during Endgame! He doesn't' need this too! That poor baby! Oh my god! What the hell was I thinking when I wrote this out!

Oh, right, this story is about Peter and Morgan. Even though this didn't have a whole lot of the two in it right at the start, I needed to write this out like this. I had to get Peter to talk.

Also I know Peter in here is OOC a bit but I think our emotions and the way we deal with them can change our attitudes a bit. Sorry if you don't like that but that's really not your choice. I'm also going to tell you now that this story should get happier a bit, though there will be dark times with the good as well. SO no worries, this'll all work out in the end. I promise. Now, review and tell me what you thought! I can't wait to hear from you all!


	3. Protection from the Lab

Chapter Three

Protection from the Lab

He thought that grieving for May would be similar to the way he had grieved for Mr. Stark.

He would hole himself up in the lab and build. He would just build and build and build until he ran out of ideas or he passed out from exhaustion. Then he would rest and start all over again. The same thing he had done for so many years and for so long.

Only he hadn't done that. It wasn't something he wanted to do when she had finally died though.

Yes, he worked in the lab, but not obsessively like he had for almost a year. No, he was out of the lab often to eat a nice rich meal with Pepper and Morgan, while also getting somewhat decent sleep afterwards. Though he would wake often most nights from nightmares or dreams that brought too much pain and sadness.

He normally managed that by crawling into bed with Morgan and hugging the little girl close to his side, calming in the thought that she was alive and well.

The times when he woke up in his own bed, he'd go and check on Pepper and then crawl into bed with Morgan. The red haired woman was the last remaining adult figure in his life that he had any real respect for anymore and that was because she hadn't blinked in taking him in.

After May had died, he had listened in on a meeting. A meeting that he had wished he had never heard and yet needed to hear the entire time.

PM

_"What are we supposed to do with him?" Mr. Wilson questioned as he leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest as he looked at the gathered people._

_ "He's not a dog." Pepper snapped as she shifted paper around. "He's a teen that has just lost the last of his family in the same year he lost his father figure." _

_ "Well, yeah, but that doesn't mean any of us can take him." Mr. Wilson continued as he looked around the table. Mr. Barnes, Mr. Barton, Doctor Banner, Colonel Rhodes, and Pepper all sat at the table, looking at each other with wary eyes. "I have no place to put a kid, not to mention I've already been drafted by SHIELD to take on missions." He'd have no place to put him and no time to take care of him at all. _

_ "I'm heading back to Wakanda." Mr. Barnes offered up. "I'm sure he'd get along fine with Shuri and T'Challa." But then he gave a sad smile as he looked at the others. "Though I doubt a totally new environment would help him at the moment."_

_ "Not to mention you have no clue how to take care of a kid either." Mr. Wilson snorted at the man with a raised brow. _

_ "Well, I would too but I'm not really qualified either." Doctor Banner said with a shrug. "SHIELD has given quarters in return for my help in research. I'm not sure he'd appreciate the military quarters with all the soldiers and agents swarming the place." _

_ "He's more than welcome at my place." Mr. Barton spoke up with a smile on his face. I have Wanda already settled into the attic there, but I have a basement too. Or I could expand the house some more and add some more rooms to the old barn house." He said with a thoughtful look on his face. "Not to mention that Cooper would love to have another teen in the house that'll keep him company."_

_ Colonel Rhodes leaned back in his chair with a raised brow. "You are all idiots." He stated before turning towards the still shuffling papers that was Pepper Stark. "So, how's the adoption papers coming along?"_

_ "Adoption Papers?" The group all questioned as they turned toward the woman with wide eyes. _

_ "Yeah, while you idiots have been discussing my son like a lost dog, I've been filling out the adoption papers to make sure he will always have a place to go and a place to call home." Pepper gathered her things and stood from her chair. "Now, if you don't mind, I've got to get these to my lawyers to make it official." With that she walked out of the door and by the little crack in the wall that Peter had wedged himself in._

_PM_

He had stood there and watched as each of those men had walked out of that room, not sparing him a single glance.

Well, Colonel Rhodes had stopped and gave him a small smile. Peter could only assume that Mr. Stark had used the crack in the wall to hide as well. The man had had tilted his head in invitation and happily waited.

Peter hadn't hesitated to join the other man.

He had distanced himself from most of the other Avengers then and made sure to avoid them whenever they were around. He locked the door whenever they tried to enter the labs and made the windows tint with soundproofing.

Pepper, Colonel Rhodes, Happy, and Morgan were the only ones allowed in the labs at any time he was in them. Otherwise he just straight up disappeared whenever one of the others showed up though, leaving rooms or areas when they made their appearances. There was no point in dealing with people who didn't want him in the first place.

"Peter, Nick Fury is calling." Friday spoke up. "He says that he wishes to speak to you of a great importance."

"I'm not here." Was the reply. "In fact, I'm somewhere in Hawaii soaking up the sun." He was a little busy working on things for Pepper. Also, he didn't really care for Fury or anything the man stood for at the moment. Then there was a fact that the model he was working on could very well explode and take him out if he didn't pay attention to it.

"He is quite insistent that you speak with him." She stated and it almost sounded like her tone was getting panicky.

"Tell him that I'm insistently relaxing on a beach where I'm unreachable." He twisted some wires and then moved them within the metal casing once more. He quickly moved the soldering iron to match up a few more wires before putting them in as well.

"I'm sorry but it seems that he's overriding my protocols." Friday's voice was definitely panicked now and it almost sounded like she was going to cry. "I can't seem to prevent him from hacking into me."

Peter scowled at that as he settled the soldering iron down and looked at the screen that popped up in front of him. "You have managed to reach the model life decoy of Peter Parker. He is currently out of the lab and relaxing on a beach where annoying super spies can't reach him." He then tapped on the screen, dismissing the scowling face of one Nick Fury. "Don't worry Friday, we'll update your mainframe and firewalls to keep out the tra…"

"Parker, we need to talk, now." The face of Fury appeared in front of Peter's once more.

He scowled at the man before looking up at the ceiling. "Seriously, I mean, not even a simple warning this time?" He glared back at Fury. "You need to not do that, that was not okay in any way or form."

Fury glared at the teen for a long moment, watching and analyzing what he was looking at. "Doesn't matter." He ended up saying. "We have business to discuss now that you are apparently the new Tony Stark."

"I have no control over any of the money or other assets. I simply create items and equipment for Stark Industries and I play with Morgan when she demands me." He stated simply, glaring at the Head of SHIELD. "So I don't understand what you could possibly want from a teenager suffering from the death of his aunt and father figure." He leaned back in his chair with a raised brow.

"You and I both know that that isn't true." Fury stated right back. "You have more hidden than anyone and you've done it very well for a long time, but it was only a matter of time before we caught up to you."

Peter instantly sat up straight and glared at the man. "Let me tell you that the last person who went snooping for information, it ended up costing him his life." He went to shut the Director out and paused a moment, looking the man in the eye. "Do not push something that someone isn't ready for. You have no room to do something like this, you are not god." He slammed his finger down on the disconnect button.

He sighed and leaned back in his chair, knowing that Fury wouldn't dare try and do anything else at the moment. Not after what he had said.

His eyes were closed even as he threw his arms over his face to block out the light of the lab. He knew he had to update Friday now to keep her from getting re-hacked by SHIELD and that asshole.

He also needed to pay attention to that last project he'd been working or it was going to blow up in his face before he could even finish it. The last thing he needed was to get himself injured or killed before his eighteenth birthday.

"Peter, what's this?"

His eyes snapped open and he turned to face the little girl on the other side of the table, poking at the very volatile project that could kill her in a single blast.

He saw the spark and that was all he needed to see to move.

He leapt over the table, scooped the child into his arms and covered her body with his own.

Just in time to take the full explosion straight to his back.

PM

_"Oh Peter, what have you gotten into this time?" _

_ "An explosion I had been trying to prevent." He grunted out as he squinted his eyes open to take in the bright light. "Though I can't really blame Morgan, she didn't know." He turned his head in the lap it was in to take in the face of his aunt. "I blame that damned black asshole."_

_ May smiled down at her nephew as she ran a hand over his hair. "I can understand that. He distracted you from something dangerous and kept you from being safe." She ran a hand over his cheek and then his jaw before moving back up to his hair. "You did everything you could to stay safe and keep Morgan safe. He distracted from that."_

_ "I'm going to hack SHIELD and screw with all of his damned protocols." HE groaned as he pushed himself up. "Though I have to thank him for helping me have such a nice dream." He smiled at the woman as he tangled his hand with her own on his cheek, holding it there tightly. "I didn't think I'd ever have a dream of you, I never did of Ben or my parents." _

_ It was true. He had never dreamed of his uncle or parents, so having a dream of his aunt was a strange occurrence and something he wasn't expecting. To see the woman that had helped shape him into who he is was something that brought an unsurmountable joy in his heart. _

_ "Oh baby, that's because you didn't need to see them." She explained as her other hand went to run through his hair. "You've been suffering so much lately, I needed to come and see you, to make sure that you'll be okay." _

_ Peter scoffed at that. "I'm not okay May." He gave a sad smile. "I haven't been okay for a long time now." He leaned forward, putting his forehead on her shoulder. He wished he could do this every day like they had when they lived in their apartment. "I'm starting to think that I'll never be okay again." _

_ It was the truth as well. _

_ It had all started when he had woken up to orange mist and screaming and yelling and crying and so many other things. _

_ He remembered the time in the Soul Stone and the torture they had all gone through. He wished and prayed and begged to have never known what he did._

_ Then he had woken up on Titan and then used a portal to return to Earth, courtesy of Dr. Strange. _

_ Where he watched Mr. Stark die._

_ He felt the sting in his eyes as he buried himself into her shoulder as far as he could. "I'm sorry May." He sobbed out._

_ She wrapped her arms around him as she leaned her head against the top of his. "It's okay Peter, I don't expect you to be okay. Not after everything you've suffered from." She assured even as she hushed him. "I just want to make sure you have everything you'll need to eventually get there. I wish I had done it while I had the time to do so." _

_ "You…you w-w-wer-re si-sick." He gasped out as he clung to her, his hands now clutching at her tightly. "You di-didn't wa-wan-want to le-leave me-me." _

_ "Not in a million years would I want to leave you voluntarily. If I could, I would have gone kicking and screaming and yelling all those obscenities I told you to never repeat in front of Ben." Peter gave a watery chuckle at that. "If I could be there with you now in anyway, I would have taken it in a second. But I can't." She had tears falling down her face now but she kept a tight hold on her baby. "I can't be there with you and I can't make sure you're taken care of now. So just tell me, is there someone there that is going to take care of you."_

_ Peter sat there for what seemed a long time before nodding his head. "Pepper," he gulped as he wiped his face on her favorite pink knitted sweatshirt that Ben had gotten her forever ago. "Is a badass. She didn't even hesitate." He chuckled as he remembered that scene._

_ May chuckled as well before she pushed him back so she could look into his teary eyes. "Then I know you're in good hands, I don't have to worry as much." She smiled as she ran a hand over his cheek once more. "Though I will always worry and I will always love and be proud of you." She assured. _

_ Peter sighed as his eyes closed and he felt her lips against his forehead. "I love you too and I miss you."  
"I miss you too sweetheart, but just like Ben and Tony, I'm right here." A hand was laid against his chest and his body relaxed forward, feeling heavy and tired, like he had been swinging for hours on end. "Now go to sleep. You need all the rest you can get." He felt his body manhandled so that his head was in her lap and her hands were running through his hair once more. "I lub you." She whispered into his ears._

_ "I…lub…you…" he sighed out as he fell into darkness._

_PM_

He wanted to wake back up with May if it was going to hurt this much just waking up from a dream.

He groaned as the smell of antiseptics and the beeping of a heart monitor filled his ears. The light was too bright and his eyes hadn't even opened yet and then the smell of stale air from the nasal cannula wasn't much fun either. It was all made even worse when he realized that he was laid on his stomach instead of his back.

"Peter?" A voice called to him, a hand appearing on his cheek. He didn't hesitate to roll into that well-manicured hand, sighing in relief at not waking alone. "Are you actually waking up or is this just you reacting?" She whispered into his hair, her nose nuzzling against his scalp.

"Mmwake." He grumbled as he pried his eyes open, squinting at the hospital room. "…gan?" he tried to ask but his throat felt like sandpaper was being shoved down it, causing him to cough a moment later.

"Hold on just a second sweetheart." She said as she moved away, shushing him when he whined at her leaving. "I'm just getting some water." He stopped whining at that and instead waited for the straw to appear at his chapped lips so he could take a deep drag of the cool liquid. It was heaven on Earth.

"How's Morgan?" He took in her tired features and knew that she must've been in here often, probably taking shifts with Colonel Rhodes. He was sure he had scared them with that accident, which made him want to destroy Fury even more.

"She's fine. A few scrapes and bruises, but fine." She explained with an exasperated look that had Peter confused. "It's you that took all of the damage. You protected Morgan from being blown to bits by being blown up yourself." Her voice began to rise and he knew that she was getting worked up. "What were you thinking? Working on something so dangerous with her in the room, she distracted you!"

Peter blinked as he watched tears gather and fall down her face. Obviously this had been nagging at her for some time. He must have been out of it for a while for her to get this worked up since it wasn't the first explosion he had to deal with, though it was the first time he had been this hurt from one. "Wasn't her fault." He got out.

"Of course it was!" Pepper interrupted before he could continue. "She went down there and distracted you from something dangerous! She could have been killed! You almost got killed!"

"Blame Fury." He coughed and sipped as Pepper held the water out to him to sip at again. She was angry but not cruel.

"What's Fury got to do with this?" Her eyes were narrowed now and he knew that this was how he was going to destroy that asshole pirate. Pepper was not someone to mess with and messing with her people was the epitome of stupidity.

"He called in the middle…of that project." He shifted his shoulders, grimacing at the pain that raced down his back. Pepper ran a hand through his hair and he settled once more before he continued. "He distracted me from… the project and, apparently, from… hearing Morgan from coming in. By the time I…hung up on him…Morgan was…already at the table and…poking the damned…thing." He was annoyed at having to take sips of water just to keep talking, but it was either that or feel like he was swallowing sand. No competition there.

"I see." She growled before shaking her head. "I'll deal with him later, but for now, I want you to rest up and heal. You had third degree burns and shrapnel when we brought you in. Some of it was really close to your spine but there was no real damage to it. You'll heal up with full use of your legs." She explained as she settled a hand back into his hair after setting the cup to the side. "Once you're healed up enough, we'll move you back to your rooms back at the cabin."

Peter hummed at that, eyes closed once more as he settled into the bed, enjoying the soothing rhythm of Pepper combing his hair with her fingers, gently scratching at his scalp. It was really all it took to settle him back into the darkness.

PM

"What movie should we watch next?" He questioned the little girl nestled into his side. "Mulan, or maybe Moana? Though I do prefer Charlotte's Web too." He informed her, chuckling as she giggled at him.

"Can we watch How to Train Your Dragon?" She questioned with those big brown eyes of hers. The eyes of her father's, filled with intelligence and curiosity. "I like watching Hiccup and Toothless."

"You know what, that sounds epic. The third one just came out on DVD too so Friday probably already has it loaded up." He ruffled her hair, getting another giggle out of her as they settled into the bed and turned to the big flat screen TV in his room back at the cabins.

He was back home, where Pepper and Happy and Colonel-call me Rhodey- Rhodes were being mother hens and Morgan had yet to leave his side since he arrived three days ago. She only left long enough to go to the bathroom or take a bath, otherwise she was there in his bed, watching movies or reading a book together.

It was getting a little odd though, how much time that Morgan was spending with him. He was sure that Pepper was starting to get worried about her as well, since the girl hardly spent any time with Pepper or Happy anymore, too focused on Peter to do so.

It wasn't until they had gotten to the part where Hiccup was going on his first real flight with Toothless that he spoke up. His arm was wrapped around her shoulders while her head was settled against his chest, cuddled up as far as she possibly curl her body into his. "You know, I don't blame you for what happened, right?" He questioned, eyes still focused on the movie.

Peter could feel the little body stiffen and the head turned to look up at him and he met her eyes without a single second of hesitance. "But you got really hurt." She stated back to him, lip wobbling and tears filling her eyes.

"Yes, but that wasn't your fault, though I do remember telling you that I didn't want you in the lab because I was working on something dangerous." He raised a brow at the girl there, wondering why she had gone down into the lab when she knew it was dangerous.

She looked away and one hand was twisting the fabric of Peter's sweatshirt while the other twirled a piece of her hair. It was obvious she was nervous and really, Peter could blame her as he would be just as nervous in a situation like this. "I wanted to see if you'd watch a movie with me and the door was unlocked. You were on the phone with the pirate though and I thought I'd wait next to the desk until you were done."

"And then there was something interesting on the table and you just had to poke it." He said with a small smile. Peter could remember doing the exact same thing at her age and so couldn't fault her. "Next time, just look with your eyes and not your hands."

She nodded her head but didn't look back up at him and he could tell that Morgan was still upset about what had happened. He sighed with that and picked the girl up to settle her in his lap and against his chest. His back gave a cry at the weight he put on it but Morgan was the more important person in the room at the moment, so that meant he had to ignore his own pain to help her. "Look at me." He ordered firmly and waited for her to do as told.

It took a moment, but eventually she raised her head to meet his eyes. He looked into her eyes for a long moment, taking in the guilt and worry and so many other things swirling in those chocolate eyes. They filled with tears that leaked over a moment later and she began to sob helplessly. "I'm Sorry!" She wailed as she buried her head into his shoulder.

He sighed as he put a hand on the back of her head and the other went to rub at her back. "I don't blame you. I will never blame you. It was an accident and no one could control what happened." He whispered to her and hushed her and assured her that none of it was her fault. If he blamed anyone, it was himself and Fury. Himself for getting distracted from the danger in the first place and Fury for distracting him needlessly.

In the end, they both fell asleep before the movie finished, holding onto each other like they were their only lifeline left in the world.

And for Peter, that was just about true.

PM

"You can't be serious." Peter said with a deadpanned look.

He was sat in the back of the car with Morgan and Pepper while Colonel Rhodes and Happy sat up front. They had been driving for some time and he was just now realizing that they weren't heading to the compound but somewhere further away.

Which was about the time that Pepper had told him where they were going.

"Oh no, I'm really serious here." She replied with an amused smile. "You and Morgan need to socialize with someone close to your age and that means that Cooper and Lila will love you while Nathanial will have all the fun he can with Morgan." She explained calmly.

"While we get to talk with actual adults." Colonel Rhodes added. "Minus Clint of course, he's just a big kid in an adult body." They all chuckled at that even as Morgan looked at them in confusion.

"Did you really have to lie to me about where we were going though?" Peter questioned with a raised brow.

"You haven't exactly been the most welcoming with the others since that conversation." The older man said as he turned to look at the teen with his own raised brow. "Snarky as hell and about as mean as Tony was before he teamed up with them to make the Avengers."

Peter scoffed as he looked out the window, watching farmlands move pass with the occasional bunches of trees. "They were talking about me like I was a dog, excuse me if I decide to bite back like one."

"Which is fine." Pepper assured him with a pat to his knee, brushing Morgan's cheek on the way over. "Just remember to be polite when you bite."

"That way it seems like I'm complimenting instead of insulting them for their lack of human decency and intelligence." He repeated back a moment later.

"That's my boy." She gave another pat before wrapping the hand around her daughter's shoulders to hold her in her seat when she tried to climb into Peter's lap.

"I sometimes forget that it wasn't always Tony who was the mastermind behind some of the take overs and meetings." Colonel Rhodes said as he looked over to Pepper with wide terrified eyes.

"It's good to have a reminder every now and then." Happy stated with his eyes on the road. "Otherwise she's always blindsiding you with how devious she actually is." He glanced at the Colonel with a smirk. "Those horns are there to hold up the Halo and hide what she actually is."

That got a laugh out of Peter and Pepper while the Colonel was left chocking on his spit for a moment. "Just behave!" Colonel finally said after a moment of catching his breath.

"Yeah, okay, fine. I'll behave." Peter said with a roll of his eyes. "At least until Mr. Barton decides he has to say something stupid. Then all gloves are off."

"I'll take it." Colonel Rhodes said with a sigh.

The rest of the ride was filled with laughter and conversations.

PM

"Hey! There you guys are!" Mr. Barton yelled out as he stood on his porch. "I was about to think you weren't going to come."

"We had to trick Peter into the car." Colonel Rhodes informed bluntly as he helped pull bags out of the trunk with Happy and Peter. "The kid didn't want to go anywhere but the lab but we were finally able to get him in the car using our secret weapon."

"Using a five year old is dirty play." Peter grumbled as he carried his and Morgan's bags while he left Pepper's and the other men's bags behind for them to carry. "Low down below the belt dirty."

"Best way to get you to do anything anymore." Pepper stated calmly. She waved a hand at the front door, motioning for the teen to move on ahead. "Now, Clint, if you don't mind showing us to where we'll be staying." She raised a brow at the man.

"Oh, yeah, of course!" The man agreed as he led the way into the house. "I just added two guests room, so one can go to you and Morgan, and then the other can go to Happy and Rhodey." He explained as he motioned towards the newly added hallway that were off of the now larger living room and kitchen. "I've got a special room just for you kid."

Peter scowled as the man placed a hand on his shoulder and steered him towards a door off from the front door. "What, gonna put me down in the basement?" He snarked as he looked at the chipped red door.

"Yep." Mr. Barton said as he opened the door and began his way down, looking back towards Peter to make sure the teen was following. "Come on, you'll love what I've done with the place."

Peter rolled his eyes at that but he followed the older man anyways. "What could you possibly have done to change a basement of all things? Especially compared to my rooms with Pepper and Morgan?"

"Oh, well, I can't say it'll be anything fancy." Mr. Barton said as they got to the bottom of the stairs where only the light from the door revealed anything. "But I thought I'd give you a place where you could get away from the city when you needed to." He flicked the light on.

Peter blinked as he took in the room from the bottom of the staircase. It wasn't anything special or cool or even advanced.

It was typical. A simple full sized bed with a blue comforter and several pillows. The floor was wood flooring with some simple brown throw rugs thrown about and two sets of dressers set up against the wall opposite of the bed. On the dressers sat a small flat screen TV that looked like it had seen better days, with a DVD player hooked up near it. Then there was a couch pushed up near the stairs and a few beanbag chairs thrown about.

It wasn't anything special and it didn't have anything truly amazing, but for some reason, it felt cozy and like home in his apartment with May.

"I hope you like it. Not anything special but I wanted you to know you have a place here if you ever need it." Mr. Barton said as he watched Peter set his bag on the bed and then walk around the room. "You'll always have a place here."

The teen gulped as he sat on the bed before looking up at the older man and nodded. "Thanks." He said as he looked at the floor.

"No prob kid." Mr. Barton laughed as he turned and began up the stairs. "I'll leave you to get comfortable. Dinner is in half an hour though."

PM

"I've never even work on a tractor before." Peter muttered as he walked out into the barn where he found an old style tractor that was painted a hideous mint green that had faded over the years. "What do they expect me to do to fix it?"

He shook his head as he looked over the piece of farming equipment, carefully reaching his hands into spaces and frowning as he looked over everything. Nothing seemed out of place and nothing seemed to be leaking.

He yelped when something smashed into the back of his head and caused his forehead to slam into the tractor in front, dropping him to the floor seconds later.

He groaned and rolled onto his side just as a pair of black loafers appeared in his vision. The teen looked up to meet a raised brow from a very famous pirate. "Did you really have to do that?" He grunted out as he looked at the baseball and then back at the head of SHIELD. "I mean really, what were you expecting to happen?"

"For you to dodge the damned thing." Fury watched as the teen sat up on his butt, resting his arms on his bent knees. "I've seen the videos. You were able to dodge much worse without even seeing it coming before."

"Yeah, well, that was before." He snapped before standing up and rubbing the back of his head and then his back gingerly. "What do you want so badly that you had to have the Barton's lie to me about their in perfect condition tractor?"

Fury watched the teen for a while before his eyes narrowed. "You've still got those injuries from the lab explosion two weeks ago." It wasn't a question.

Peter nodded his head with a shrug of his shoulders. "What of it?"

"You have a healing factor, heightened senses, heightened strength, and accelerated speed." Fury listed off as he began to walk around the barn, looking at the odds and ends that Mr. Barton had thrown in there over the years. "You should have heard, felt, and anticipated that I would be in here before you ever even got near this barn."

"Yeah, should have could have would have. You got them all there alright, but then again, that was before shit hit the fan." Peter stated as he watched the older man. "Kinda can't do any of that at the moment."

"And why's that?"

Peter could only stare at the man with disbelief. There was no way that this man, someone that Mr. Stark had warned him about constantly about knowing things that he shouldn't, wouldn't know why he currently was powerless. There was just no way a simple reason as his could be neglected by a freaking information glutton like Nick Fury. "You're kidding, right?" He asked.

Fury just raised a brow at the teen, a look that stated 'Do I look like a kidding kind?' "Do I really need to answer that?"

"Holy shit." Peter got out before shaking his head. "I got jumped on a spaceship that took me to a desolate planet where I fought with aliens against a lunatic, watched Mr. Stark get stabbed with a piece of his own armor, fe…" He paused and took a deep breath as he gathered himself and then continued. "Felt myself turn to dust, drifted wherever we were shoved for five years, got returned to my body, fought in a galactic war where if we lost, I'd be dusted again, and then I watched as Mr. Stark died right in front of me after he had sacrificed himself to save the universe and then my aunt died."

He glared at the man as Fury met his stare head on, only a frown gracing the man's face as he took in all the information given to him. He said nothing though and just stood there, watching the teen as he got to his feet.

"Now you tell me why the fuck I don't have my powers." He turned and began to walk away from the man but stopped when he spoke.

"You know, you are the next Iron Man kid." Fury knew this deep down. Just talking with the kid was like a smack to the face from the past. He was so much like Tony that it almost hurt him to look and talk to him. "The world is gonna need you to step up and take that title in your hands."

Peter paused for a long moment before he continued on his way out. "The world can wait until I'm done mourning."

With that, he walked away from the head of SHEILD and back to the house where Pepper and Morgan were waiting with everyone else.

Fury sighed as he watched the teen with grim eyes. "I don't think the world is gonna let you do that kid." With that he disappeared back into the shadows, waiting for the day that Spider-Man made his way back to protect the world once more.

PM

A.N. I know this is the five times +1 thing, but I also wanted to give this a little plot and have this be exciting in a way. We got two more chapters to go before Morgan gets to be the hero in a way! I can't wait for it! Also I want you all to review and tell me what you all thought about this chapter!

One last thing! I'm sorry it took so long for me to get this out here! I've been doing work and school and it's been killing me! I hoped that this helped a little to let you know that I'm not dead just yet! Well enjoy then!


	4. Protection from Kidnappers

Chapter Four

Protection from Kidnappers

Four weeks since the accident in the lab, two since their trip to the Barton's farm, and they were finally back in the cabin where everything could start to calm down.

Peter sighed as he helped Happy set their bags in the living room before falling back onto the couch with a huff. "Why is everyone so intent on my taking over for Mr. Stark? They were all against it before Thanos showed up!" He tilted his head over to where the older man flumped onto the couch next to him. "Am I really that important to them now that Mr. Stark isn't here to serve them?"

"I wouldn't say serve, but yeah, he gave a lot to help them before." Happy agreed as he picked up the TV remote and turned the TV to the news channel, watching as the weather flickered on before them. "And if there's a chance for another Iron Man who was just as smart, if not smarter, than Tony to help out, then yeah, they'll be all over you kid."

Peter groaned as he scrunched his eyes closed tightly. He hated that thought! How could he ever be as good as Mr. Stark when he was now struggling to get his powers to work for him properly. He hadn't had this problem after Ben, instead his powers seemed to have gotten more powerful after Ben to the point he could catch a car with his bare hands. Now he could hardly pick up the engine to throw into the hover car he had been working on.

"Just give yourself time Peter." Happy said as he wrapped an arm around the other's shoulder. "I know it's been tough, and people have been on you about things lately, but you can't let it all get to you. Focus on you and get better and then you can start worrying about the world."

"Yeah, I know, but when I have a one eyes pirate on my ass about becoming the new Iron Man…well, it get's stressful really fast." He rubbed his face tiredly before turning his head just in time to see Morgan come running into the room with an Iron Man action figure and a Spider-Man one in each hand. "What's up Mor?"

"I wanted to see if you'd play Daddy and Spidey with me!" She exclaimed as she held up the two dolls to showcase her idea. She hadn't gotten to have just her and Peter time in a while, and now that they were home and away from all the other once upon avengers and their kids, she thought it would be perfect timing. "Please! I'll let you be daddy!"

Peter smiled and nodded his head. This would take his mind off of the fact that his powers were not currently working. That he was currently vulnerable and of no real use to SHIELD or to the Avengers at this moment.

Either way, he'd have fun hanging with Morgan and then he would go and have some tinkering time down in the lab before bed.

SM

"Peter! Come down here please!" Pepper yelled from the kitchen, scooping a pile of scramble eggs and cheese onto the plate in front of Morgan. The little girl waited patiently for her mother to plate the bacon and the toast as well, waiting for that nod that would allow her to eat her breakfast. "Peter!" Pepper shouted, giving a sharper tone than before as she became impatient with the teen.

"I hear ya!" Peter shouted back as the sound of a door opened and closed before steps headed upstairs from the lab. "Sorry, had to put something away before I came up, otherwise there would be no house."

"What have I told you about dangerous experiments in the house?" She questioned with a raised brow, ignoring the 'Ooooooooh!' from Morgan.

"Not to do it when you and Mo are in the house." He replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "It normally isn't dangerous, but I got startled from that first yell and I crossed the wrong wires." He explained as he settled at the table that was quickly gaining his plate of food. It was nowhere near what he used to eat, but it satisfied himself for the time being. "I was able to uncross then put them where they needed to be. Danger averted."

"Well, I'm sorry I scared you, didn't mean to." She said before setting her own plate down and getting everything that she wanted to eat on it. "Either way, there are some things we need to talk about before we do anything for the day."

"Oh, what things need to be talked about?" He questioned, shoving eggs in his mouth and making a face at Morgan, making her laugh.

"We need to go into town and hit the stores. Most of my jeans are all worn and getting holes in the upper thighs, along with a few new dresses for the upcoming galas. Morgan needs some new clothes as well, especially as summer is coming up and all of her old clothes are too small. She'll need some dresses for those galas as well, since some of them she'll have to go to."

"Okay, sounds like a plan. I hope you two have some fun." He said with a smile on his face. He shoveled more eggs in and then took a bite of his bacon to go along with it.

Pepper rolled her eyes at the teen before tapping the table to bring the attention back to her. "You are going to go with us." She stated and ignored the look of horror on his face. "You have outgrown all of your jeans and you've worn nothing but sweats since. You've even taken to wearing Tony's old t-shirts, which swamp you."

"I'm fine!" Peter stated as he pushed his plate away from him. "I have everything I need, and I don't need anything new, I promise Pepper." He tried to assure her, but he knew that the ACDC T-shirt wasn't making his argument valid.

"Peter, I haven't seen you wear jeans, nor have I seen you wear shirts of your own. You can't continue wearing things that came out of the boxes in the attic." Pepper explained as gently but firmly as possible. She knew that the clothes that once belonged to Tony were up there, ready and waiting for Peter to go up and grab clothes as much as he pleased. "I know you'd be wearing his jeans too if you could, but you're still too short for those and that's why you've been taking his sweats instead." She pointed down to where she knew the ends were rolled up.

Peter flushed as he crossed his arms over his chest and tucked his chin down. He really didn't mind wearing what he was. It wasn't like he was going out to see people or galas or leave the cabin in general. Not unless it was going to eat out with Pepper and Morgan or to go and gather materials for projects for Stark Industries. There really was no reason to go out other than that. Not like anyone was waiting to hang out with him in the world, especially as MJ and Ned were in college and his own was all online.

"I also need to get you fitted with a tux and business suits. With you taking over the mechanical side of Stark Industries, we'll need you to represent it." That stopped Peter completely and his entire complexion turned white.

"What?" He squeaked out as he grabbed the corner of the table to keep himself from toppling over. "You can't be serious!"

"I am." Pepper stated calmly as she finished off her breakfast. "Go and get dressed Morgan, we'll leave in ten." Only once the girl had left did she turn fully towards the teen boy, still with a pallor that worried her slightly. "This is something that was going to happen at some point, Peter." She sighed as she steepled her hands together. "I have not spoken of what Tony has left you, and I realize I should have, but I have put it off to give you time to grieve and recover."

"Tony…." Peter gulped as he looked at the woman, taking in the crow's feet at the corner of her eyes, the greys in her hair, and the frown lines on her forehead. She had lived a hard life and it hadn't gotten any easier. "Tony, he, uh, he wrote me into his will?" He coughed at the end as he tried to bring himself to understand.

"He did. You were his kid after all. Not by blood, but by choice. He loved you dearly Peter." She smiled and stood up so she could walk over to the boy and place a hand on his shoulder. "If he hadn't of loved you, he would have never figured out how to time travel to change the path we had been on."

Peter clenched his jaw, trying to stop the tears in his eyes from falling. He had never known how important he was to Tony. He had never known that he had been the reason why he had found a way to time travel.

All he knew was that hug he had gotten after showing back up on Earth. It had been the only hug he had gotten from the man, an actual hug that wasn't from distress induced. He would treasure that and curse upon it the rest of his life.

"Because of that, he left you a few things in his will. I held back because of your grief, but now I need you to step up and help with the company. You have already built new items for it and I've opened the account that Tony had created for you, depositing all of the shares of your creations to you." She explained as she pulled her purse over to her and pulled out a debit card, settling it in front of him.

It had his name on it. Peter B. Parker. With the whole numbers and expiration date and so on. It was a huge thing for him to have since his old one had been shut down when he had dusted before. All of the money he had then gone into Aunt May's account at the time. She had needed it more.

"Then there is the contract he had written up just before the snap occurred. It was just a simple one, a contract that you'd work for Stark Industries and you would get thirty percent of the profits and then the royalties as well." She laid out the paper for him to look over. "You can take your time reading this over, I don't need it right away and I can even put it off for a while too."

Peter nodded his head as he looked over the official looking papers in front of him. he could see things such as terms and periods and about conditions about his grades and extra curriculars. There were places for him to sign and for his guardian to sign. No wonder Pepper wasn't worried about it at the moment, she was his guardian after all.

"The final piece is here." She laid a simple black case in front of him. "This was something he had been working on at the end and thought would become in the future. Just after he figured out time travel, he had made some changes and made sure you'd be able to have access to this."

Peter pulls the case to sit in front of him but doesn't open it right away. "What is it?" He questions, looking up at the woman in confusion. Tony wasn't half assed and did things in full. If he was going to give Peter something, then it was going to be big, much like the Iron Spider suit had been.

"He called them EDITH. It's an AI that controls the weaponized drones that were launched into space about two years ago. A back up plan incase someone comes to Earth, and extra help was needed." She began as she tapped the case. "She can do more than that though. Much like Friday, Edith can hack into any computer in the world, given enough time, and can help give information that you may need."

Peter nodded as he opened the case, looking at the square glasses that lay inside. They were sunglasses, lightly tinted and lined in black. They were simple yet spoke loudly. "These are the AI glasses he always wore." He frowned as she remembered seeing Tony speak aloud to the AI's all the time. Whether for information or vitals or passcodes. "Why would he give something like this to me?" He questioned next, eyes looking up at Pepper.

"Because he knew that you would follow in his footsteps and surpass them. You would take over what he left behind and make it better, stronger, and faster." Pepper laid her hands onto his cheeks, squishing them a little to get a smile out of him. "You'll do wonders Peter. I know you will, and I will be by your side as you do."

Peter couldn't help but chuckle as he nodded his head in understanding, leaning into the hands, ignoring the stretch he felt there. It was a comfort and he loved it. "Yeah, sure, whatever you say Pepper." He leaned away, still a smile on his face. "Well, I guess I better try them on." He placed them on his face and looked at Pepper, cupping his chin in one hand while the other settled on his hip. "How do I look."

"Absolutely ridiculous." She assured with a smirk, ignoring the teenager's indignant squawk.

SM

"Peter! I wanna wear your glasses!" Morgan demanded from her place in her car seat. Happy was driving with the three others in the back, relaxing as they made their way to the city. "They were daddy's!"

"Morgan, those glasses are Peter's now. Daddy gave them to him especially." Pepper said with a firm disapproving frown on her face. "Not to mention that they're dangerous if you say something wrong."

"But mommy! Daddy wore those! I wanna wear Daddy's glasses!" She pouted as she kicked out her feet in a fit. "I wanna be like daddy!"

"Morgan Stark, do not start or we will turn right back around and go home." She threatened.

"Edith, child friendly mode. Don't allow Morgan access to anything that's deadly or could cause a crisis." Peter ordered before taking the glasses off. "Here, you can wear them until we get to the store. I made sure that you won't be able to accidentally set off a bomb somewhere or another." He stated calmly, allowing the child to place the glasses onto her face.

"Peter don't give in like that. She'll never learn that she can't always get what she wants with a pout." Not that her child wasn't well behaved most of the time, but that doesn't mean she didn't have her temper tantrums.

"It's fine Pepper, no worries." He said as she little girl looked around the car in excitement, seeing the way her father had when he wore them. Little graphs and temperatures were showing up on them and Edith would answer questions that Morgan asked. Though she would deny any request that would be troublesome, or she deemed unreasonable. "It looks like we're here now."

"Oh, so we are." She blinked as she looked out and took in the mall. Though she had access to grander scaled shops up in the higher ends of town, but she knew that Peter would appreciate this much more. Smaller shops that would allow the funnier t-shirts for the teen and she'd be able to find some of the cuter dresses that she knew the cheaper mall would bring. "Alright dears, let's go and get you some clothes and maybe a few other things while we're at it."

"Sounds like a forced plan that I did not agree to." Peter drawled as he unbuckled Morgan and helped her out of the car, Pepper right behind them. "This is forced and cruel punishment that I do not deserve."

The woman rolled her eyes and smiled as she watched Peter pick up the child and bounce her on his hip, scowling as they walked into the mall. "You'll be fine and soon, with new clothes that'll actually fit you."

"That or tortured into insanity from you dressing me up like a doll." He shot back.

SM

"Is that her?" A man questioned as he looked through a pair of binoculars, watching as a red-haired woman with a teen and child walked in the mall. "Who's the kid?"

"Who cares about him, the little girl is the one we want." Another said, growling as he chewed on the end of an unlit cigarette. "We get her, then we can ransom her back for a pretty penny, especially now that Stark is dead and out of our way." His grin turned malicious as he watched the trio move towards a child's clothing store. "With Iron Man gone, they're an easy target and we can't be attacked by a hunk of metal."

"What about that brat that Stark was training?" A woman questioned behind the two. "The Spider that was always out and catching petty criminals. The one that took Toomes out."

"From what I've heard, he hasn't made an appearance since that Blip reversal fiasco." He grunted as he snatched the binoculars out of the shorter male's hands. "Stop looking so fucking suspicious you fucking moron." He growled before turning back to the woman, ignoring the apologies sent his way. "I doubt he'll show up right now, probably got nabbed by another Nazi group or died during whatever happened."

"I guess." She agreed before huffing and turning. "We better get down there and get into place. We won't have a whole lot of time before Schultz starts things off."

"We're right behind you Cat. Come on Flint, we don't want to mess things up now that we're so close to this deal." The shorter male said with an excited smile. "Especially since that bug isn't here to mess things up for us again."

"Flint rolled his eyes as he shook his shoulders out and prepared for the upcoming kidnapping and the chaos that was going to happen. "Yeah, I know Gargan. Just don't screw this up like the last time we tried to pull a huge heist."

"It wasn't my fault Spidey showed up! Fucker shouldn't have been anywhere in the area but there he was!" Gargan growled out as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Either way, we better catch up with the chick before Shultz really starts without us."

Flint nodded as he spat out the chewed-up cigarette and led the shorter male to where they were to be stationed to pull this kidnapping off. "Hopefully that gear he nabbed from Toomes will be of use or this won't work out like we've planned."

SM

"How about this one Peter!? Does this make me look pretty too!?" Morgan twirled in the pink little sundress, it had short sleeves with little patterns of flowers and leaves printed in white. Pepper had paired it with cute little white Mary Janes.

"My goodness, where did this princess come from?" Peter gasped as theatrically as he could. "I was supposed to be here for my little sister Morgan, but here I am meeting a real live princess." He smiled at her before giving a bow. "It is an honor to meet you, your majesty."

Morgan giggled as she ran over and hugged his legs. "Its just me silly, Morgan." She looked up at him with a wide smile, waiting for his reply.

He gasped as he reached down and picked her up, putting her on his hip. "Wow Morgan, you look so pretty I didn't even recognize you."

"Oh, stop it." Pepper said with her own smile. "We'll never be able to keep her ego down if you keep doing that."

"Well, with who her father is, its inevitable that she gets a matching ego." He gave her an Eskimo kiss, earning a kiss to his cheek afterwards. "Might as well embrace it now before we can't handle it later."

Pepper just rolled her eyes as she looked at the pile of clothes she had gotten for Morgan. There was more than enough to last her a while, especially since she had shopped for clothes that were much larger than what the child could wear at the moment. That way she wouldn't have to shop again in a few months just in case Morgan had a growth spurt. "Alright, I think we're ready to pay and then go and get some clothes for you Mister." She stated with a stern glare at the teen.

Peter grunted in acknowledgement as he flagged down the sales associates waiting off in the corner. "Whatever you say Pepper." He adjusted the EDITH glasses on Morgan's face, pushing them more firmly against her face. He had eventually turned off all the functions so that no one would notice what they were, just incase someone noticed the data rolling across the screens.

He stood there and waited while all the purchases were made, some of which he didn't really think Morgan needed, but hey, he wasn't a mom and I'm sure Pepper was buying Morgan a mini gym outfit that most likely matched one of her own, for a reason. He just shook his head as he continued to entertain the little girl and make sure she didn't get into any trouble. She was Tony Stark's daughter after all and he was sure that she was bound to get into trouble at some point, whether they wanted her to or not.

One second he was standing there with Morgan in his arms and Pepper at his side.

The next he was laying against the counter, Morgan huddled against him and his chest while his back was facing the entrance of the store. His ears were ringing, and he couldn't really tell what was going on, too disoriented to figure out what was going on. He could feel Morgan bawling against his chest, but he couldn't hear her, only feel the shaking and the heaving that came with fear and panic. "It'll be okay." He muttered, but he wasn't sure she could hear it if he couldn't hear anything either.

He blinked as a hand landed on his shoulder and forced him to turn around and look up into the face of a large bulky man wearing a dark and light green stripped shirt, a brown hoodie thrown over that, and then a bandana covering the bottom half of his face with black gloves.

He frowned when he tried to pull Morgan from his hold, but he held on. He wasn't about to let this man take his little sister. She was his to protect and take care of.

But obviously he wasn't going to have a choice as something metallic slammed into the side of his face and everything went black.

SM

"Okay, where is he now?" Rhodey questioned as he walked with Pepper in the compound. They hadn't been there since it had been rebuilt but it was obvious they needed some help with this.

"He's down in the workshop we had built. To Tony's old specifications just in case we needed something built." Pepper explained as she led the other to the stairs. "He's been down there running through all sorts of things, but he won't tell me what he's doing."

"If he's anything like Tony, then he's looking for a way to track down Morgan and those who took her." He stated with a serious face. "But with his spider powers on the back burner, there's not a whole lot for him to do if he finds them. He'll put himself in danger if he tries."

"I'm just lucky that Tony never really saved any of his Iron Man blueprints on the computers." She huffed at that as they got down the stairs and stared into the workshop. "All of them were in his head and any that were on his computers were all fakes. That made it easier to track people down when they tried to steal them."

"No kidding, though now I have to rely on Shuri and Peter to keep War Machine going. Though I've noticed that Peter's updates have been more useful than Shuri's have been." He muttered as he looked through the glass doors to where Peter was messing around with a large capsule like item. "We should get in and see what he's messing with before he does something stupid."

"Oh, I don't doubt he already has done something stupid." Pepper muttered as she put her code in and entered. "Peter, I don't know what you're doing but I demand that you stop this instant and listen to what we've got to say."

"Demanding things from me rarely goes the way you want Pepper, especially when Mor is nowhere in the vicinity to do the puppy eyes to help." He replied without turning back towards the woman. "And whatever reason you have for bringing Mr. Rhodes down here is null and void. I've got too much at stake at the moment to stop and you know this."

"Yes, we know, but with your powers on the hold and without any knowledge of where they are, there is no point in running yourself down." Rhodey ignored the sting at being called Mr. again. He had thought he had the kid closer than that, but this must've pushed him into a corner no one wanted him in. "Let us help bring her home and you can stay here in the lab and lead us there from here."

"Who are the we?" Peter questioned as he whipped around to glare at the Colonel. "The fake Captain America and his toy soldier side kick? The wicked witch of the west that fucked off to who knows where or when with the wizard of oz? Or are you talking about the talking racoon and the sentient stick from space? All of whom are nowhere here to help at all?" He growled out.

"He means War Machine and Rescue." Pepper stated as she stepped up with a raised chin. "Morgan is my daughter, much like you are my son. I will not allow these people to take any of my children or hurt them without consequences." She glanced at where the bandaged was stuck over a large gash on the side of his temple.

Peter looked at Pepper with a blank face before growling and slamming a hand on a hologram in front of him. "Friday, bring forward the Rescue and War Machine suits, the ones I've built, please." He stated and watched with bitter satisfaction as the two suits appeared.

The War Machine held more of a stocky form, mostly to account for Rhodey's braces, but it would allow for it to take more hits. It was in the same metallic gray and black Tony had originally made it.

Rescue was at the moment in the nanite container unit. He had gone off of the notes that Tony had left and managed to pull together the suit without too much trouble. It helped that he had a direct contact with Shuri as well. Between the two of them, they had made Rescue more durable and quicker to call into action. It would still be slim and the blue and gold colors Tony had chosen.

"They're still the same, but with more weapons and faster. Do not stop until you have her back here safe and sound." He stated as the two stepped up. Rhodey walked into his suit, the braces becoming one with it and Pepper was covered in her own suit in seconds. "The kidnappers coordinates have already been sent and set. Don't waste time and go." He watched as the Colonel took off with a nod, one of his hands gripping the side of the capsule with white knuckled fists.

"We'll bring her back." Pepper assured as she followed War Machine out of the compound.

Peter smiled gravely as he looked back over to the capsule and released his hold on it. He stared at the collapsed edge gravely before looking back at the red and black suit inside. "Oh, I know we will."

SM

"So, when are we making the call?" Gargan questioned as he looked down at the gagged and tied up girl. He wore a dark green hoodie with blue jeans, a phanny pack on his hip while his green bandana was hanging around his throat. The glasses she had on were now perched on Cat's own nose, showcasing her bright blue eyes while her white hair framed her face.

A dark-skinned man smirked as he looked over the metal gauntlets he wore, they were sparking brightly every few seconds. "In an hour. We want Potts panicking just enough that she'll hand over the money without a second to waste." He explained. He wore a black shirt and blue jeans; a yellow face mask was set to the side where he could grab it if needed. "Until then, we lay low with the brat and wait."

"We'll need to make sure she gets fed." Flint muttered as he pulled off his zip up hoodie. "Don't want her to die before we get out money."

"We aren't really going to kill the child, are we?" Cat questioned as she crossed her black skinny jean clad legs. She wore a long-sleeved black shirt that showed a good portion of her cleavage. She had a white vest over that, the collar holding white fluffy faux fur that tickled her chin and jaw when she moved. "She's so young and has much to live for."

"Can't have her saying what we look like, especially since we haven't exactly been careful about that." Shultz stated calmly, glancing at the cowering child in the corner. "As soon as we got the money, I'll make it quick and painless. She doesn't need to suffer, even if she is Stark's spawn."

"I suppose." She stated, though it was obvious by the frown on her face that she did not care for that ending at all. She'd have to try and get the child away at the end, while still getting her cut of the money in the end. "Either way, Flint is right, we'll need to feed her."

"Don't worry, I got it covered." Gargan spoke up as he pulled out a bag of snacks and food and drinks. "All kid friendly in this one. I got a more adult on around here somewhere."

"Good to know you're ready at all times." Cat purred as she stood up to look through the bag. "Though it's a wonder at how you got caught by the Spider if you really are prepared."

"Hey! No one could be prepared for a scrawny little brat to jump you when you're busy robbing a bank." He growled.

"Either way, it doesn't matter now. We just keep the girl alive till we…." Flint trailed off as he looked over at the corner of where the child should have been.

"The fuck is this?" Shultz growled as he realized what had happened too. "Where is she? Where did she go?"

"Relax." The woman stated as she walked over to the corner to look in the ways the child could have gone or maybe she had crawled through a hole that was there. They were hiding out in an abandoned warehouse after all, it could be falling apart as well. "She can't have gone far, especially since we side her hands and ankles together."

That was about the time the ceiling above crashed down inwards, startling the kidnappers. "Where is my daughter?" A voice intoned and two glowing eyes came out from the dust.

SM

"Really, they don't look up at all." Peter muttered as he crawled along the ceiling of the warehouse. He had managed to get to the building before Rhodey and Pepper by mere minutes. Using the cycle that he had built had been a great idea, pushing it to its limits even more so as he soared through the sewers below the city and straight to the warehouse that Morgan would be. It was made even more useful when the sewer had an exit right outside of the warehouse he needed.

Sneaking in from a busted window had been easy afterwards.

Getting Morgan up into his arms had been child's play when he had jumped from the ceiling silently before jumped back up. He had only a minute before Pepper would be crashing through that ceiling and he needed to make sure that they were well out of the way when she did.

He planted his feet on either side of the corner of the ceiling, curled his chin on top of Morgan's silently crying head, and curled inwards in just enough time to protect the child from being hit with any debris.

"Where is my daughter?" Pepper's voice intoned behind him, and boy, he had never heard her so pissed in his life.

"Fuck, when did Potts get a suit?" Flint questioned as he ripped his bandana back over his nose and mouth.

"Who cares, we need to get out of here. Find the girl." Shultz growled as he slammed the mechanical gloves together. "I'll distract the bitch." With that he let out a shockwave of sound that sent Peter's ears to ring and his senses screaming danger.

He couldn't stay here with Morgan. He had to get her out of here. "Alright, keep your head against my chest and try not to move. This is going to be a little tricky." He said to her, ignoring the screaming down below. Pepper, as strong as the suit is, was still inexperienced in it. She had only really worn it once during the final battle and she was soundly getting her butt handed to her.

Luckily, Rhodey decided he was going to show up at that moment. "I got ya back." He shouted as he set off a volley of missiles that were detonated early from the shockwave.

Peter used the distraction the crawl along the roof and out on top of it. "I need you to be brave, alright." He said as he untied the little girl's hands and ankles, quickly pulling the gag out afterwards. "I need you to stay here while I go help Pepper and the Colonel." He said.

"You're going to win." She stated confidently, even as tears and snot covered her face "You're Spider-Man and daddy said you're the greatest hero of them all!" She nodded with her statement, rubbing at her face to get the tears off. "You'll protect Mommy and Uncle Rhodey."

"I am." He agreed and rubbed her head gently. "I just need you to stay here and hidden until I can, alright."

"I can do that." She said as she huddled down away from the hole that Pepper had made.

"Good, I'll be back soon, I promise." With that he jumped back down the hole and into the battle below.

Rescue was currently trying to keep the three nonweaponized kidnappers from leaving while War Machine was taking a beating from the shock gauntlets that Peter recognized as a design Toomes had created. If he didn't get those things off of the man soon, then he might get vaporized like the one before him.

His Spidey Sense screamed at him at that moment and he leapt down backwards to avoid a shockwave, bringing him out of the shadows he had been hiding in. "Fuck! It's the webhead!" Gargan shouted as he leapt to the side and behind a desk, quickly coming up and out with a gun held in his hands.

"So, you aren't dead after all, are ya bug?" Flint questioned next as he pulled out his own gun from the lining of his pants. He knew that the weapon would have no effect on the Iron Man suits but it would against the Spider. "I'll have to make sure you die here." He aimed and fired.

Peter didn't waste a single second as he jumped and fired off webs, grabbing hold of the guns and slamming them into the ceiling where they stuck. "You can't really think that would have worked on me." He stated as he leapt forward and slammed a fist into his face while Pepper knocked down Gargan at the same time. "I mean really, I might not have shown up lately but that doesn't mean I'm rusty." He then webbed the man to the ground and then webbed Pepper's own as well.

"I could use a hand here!" Rhodey shouted as he held against the shockwave hitting him again and again. It was paralyzing the braces in his suit and making it hard to walk forward. He could fly, but he didn't know where Morgan was and didn't want to risk flaring up with her too close.

"Sure." Spidey stated as he shot forward and webbed the gauntlets and then ripped them downwards. They slammed against the ground where the gauntlets sparked sharply before exploding. "That's how that's taken care of." He stated as he brushed his hands against each other, getting dust off of them.

"Pe-Spider-Man!" Pepper shouted a moment later as she shot forward, her fist grabbing the man's gun by the barrel and blocking the bullet. "You should have finished him off!"

"I was fine!" Peter shouted from where he was crouched against the ceiling, away from where the bullet would have landed. "Thanks for the save anyways." He shouted back as he looked around the building.

"Anyone seen that white-haired lady?" Rhodey questioned as he looked around. "Where's Morgan?"

"She's safe up…." His head whipped upwards as a scream came through the hole in the roof. "Stay here, don't follow unless I say it's okay." With that he wasted not a second as he leapt up and crouched, his mask's eyes narrowing in anger. "Let her go."

"I don't think I will." The woman stated as she held the little girl against her chest, sharp pointed claws dragging against Morgan's throat. "She's worth quite a bit of money and a big payday."

"She's five. She's a little kid that you and your friends down there traumatized for something as petty as money." He snarled at her. "Hasn't she suffered enough?"

"She's not the only one who has lost her daddy." Cat snapped back angrily. "We've all lost people, some more than others. Now all we can do is move on and survive."

"That doesn't mean you throw trouble on other people! You don't make lives harder to make yours easier." He stated back. He looked her over, realizing that she was wearing a black domino mask on her face and then had the EDITH glasses on as well. That was how he had tracked Morgan down in the first place and he was happy he had shut it down for the most part. He couldn't have a criminal realizing what those glasses were and what damage they could cause. "You could make things better by helping those around you, but you chose to make it tougher on people, which is stupid on your part."

"Well Spidey, not everyone can have the heart of gold you do." She stated calmly. "Now, if you don't want this child hurt, then you should let me leave with her and I'll let you know how much money I want for her safe return." She purred.

"I have a better idea. Edith, Flash!" He shouted and watched as the glasses came to life and let out a bright flash.

The woman hissed in pain and surprise as she slammed her eyes shot and her clawed hand shot up to her eyes, ripping the glasses from her face. That was all Peter needed as he shot a web, grabbing a hold of Morgan and pulling her out of the woman's arms.

He leapt forward and pulled the little girl into his own arms as he came to a stop about a yard from the woman, the glasses behind him and the girl in his arms. "I think I've won this one."

"You might have but there won't be a next time. Black Cat doesn't give up that easily." She stated with a hiss before slipping back off the roof.

Peter didn't bother going after her, knowing that he had what he wanted and that they could go home now. "Pepper, Colonel Rhodes, I got her." He said as he walked over to the hole.

"Morgan!" Pepper cried as she shot up to stare at the two. "Oh, my babies." Stated as the helmet disappeared, and she hugged the two to her.

"Mommy!" Morgan shouted back, wrapping her arms around her mother's neck as Peter kept a tight hold on her. "I was so scared!"

"I know darling, but we go you." She said.

"I Love this little reunion! But we should get these guys arrested and then talk to Spider-Kid about his recklessness!"

"Don't worry, I haven't forgotten." Pepper said as she sent a glare at the teenager. "We'll be having a long talk about this and about the return of your powers."

All Peter could groan even as Morgan giggled.

SM

A.N. Honestly, I've been so swamped with school and work I've had little time to try and write anything for you guys, and I'm so sorry. But I got this chapter done finally and I hope you've all enjoyed it so far! I also hope you all enjoyed all the villains I brought in today, even if they were different than what you might have expected! Anyways, review and let me know what you guys thought! Until I can get the next chapter put up then!


	5. Protection from a Past

Chapter Five

Protection from a Past

Honestly, Peter couldn't have been having a better time than he was at the moment.

Swinging through New York with a little Stark on his back. She was giggling in excitement as they swung all over the city. Though he had to make sure that no one took photos at the moment, or Pepper would have his skin.

He was on babysitting duty at the moment, as Pepper had meetings all day and Rhodey was currently busy with military stuff. He was in charge of her instead and that meant that they were got to go and have fun.

Fun that Pepper would not approve of.

Which was why they were currently avoiding her finding out. That would take a lot of their fun away and there was only so much that Peter got to do now a days.

He spent a lot of time swinging around town as Spider-Man, saving the little guys. He also was almost completely done with his Bachelors in science and engineering. He was also bored at the moment with creating things for Stark Tech. When he wasn't studying or building, he was hanging with Morgan and creating all sorts of games and adventures. It was much more entertaining than anything else in the world.

"Oh look, there's a rooftop garden there." Peter said as he landed on said roof. "Let's take a quick peek and see what all they've got here. Remember, don't touch or take anything from here. Other people have grown these and worked hard, so we don't want to ruin it for them."

Morgan nodded her head with a smile. "Okay!" she bolted a moment later, taking in the view of some of the flowers and vegetables. There were even some fruit trees that were growing and would hopefully produce fruit once they were big enough. It was a beautiful place and Peter was enjoying the place. Though he made sure to avoid the nutmeg and mint.

"Look Peter! There are roses! They're all so bright red too!" Morgan exclaimed as she leaned forward to sniff one. "So pretty!"

"They really are." He agreed as he allowed the mask to deform and show his face. "Maybe we can convince your mom to let us build a garden back at the cabin. We can plant all sorts of flowers to make it pretty." He thought, thinking of different plants that could be nice to have around.

Though he couldn't have certain flowers there, since he was allergic. He had a hypothesis that it was because of the Spider bite, especially since he hadn't been allergic to garlic or mint before then. He missed eating garlic and his mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Oh well, either way, he could still enjoy cherry and coffee and vanilla. Not to mention he could enjoy other foods that he wasn't allergic to as well.

"You think we can!?" Morgan's dark brown eyes sparkled happily as she looked back towards the roses. "I think daddy would have loved them too!"

Peter's smile saddened slightly, but he tried to push it away to instead ruffle her hair. "Yeah, that sounds about right. Anything red he loved."

It only took ten minutes to get back to the tower, the two landing on the pad that Tony had used to disengage his armor forever ago.

That was where he found Pepper waiting for them, arms crossed over her chest and a scowl on her face.

"Oh, Pepper, what's up?" he chuckled nervously, feeling like his life was about to end.

PM

"OF ALL THE IRRESPONSIBLE THINGS YOU COULD HAVE DONE!"

Rhodey hadn't thought about the fact that there could be someone else out there that could incite Pepper's rage like Tony was able to. He didn't think he'd ever have to listen to this rage ever again with Tony passed, but it seems that Peter shared more than just smarts with the man.

It honestly had him grinning because of it.

"Now Pepper, I had her perfectly safe." Peter said as he held his hands out in front of him, suit off and in a pair of sweats and a shirt. "She was webbed to me and I avoided getting anywhere near the ground."

"YOU HAVE A TENDENCY OF LEAPING BEFORE LOOKING!" She continued to yell as she kept her stance strong and her arms crossed. Her eyes raged as she fought against calling the Rescue suit. "FOR ALL YOU KNOW, YOU WOULD HAVE DROPPED HER OFF ON A ROOF TO PLAY HERO!"

"Hey! I wouldn't have done that!" he defended. "I made sure that I was high above for a reason, I wouldn't have done anything to put her in danger!" That was the last thing he would ever do to that little girl. There was no way he would ever harm her in such a way.

"Well your actions didn't reflect that!" She huffed before taking a deep breath and pinching the bridge of her nose. "In any case, you've shown that I can't trust you alone with Morgan. I'll be looking into a sitter so that I know that she'll be alright when Rhodey and I aren't around to keep an eye on you."

"Oh come on Pepper! I don't need a watcher to help keep an eye on us!" he scowled at the adult in front of him. He knew that he was a kid and that he could make some pretty bad decisions, but that doesn't mean he'd put Morgan in any sort of danger. He didn't need someone to watch them to make sure of that.

"You don't get a choice in this, there will be a sitter starting tomorrow. I've found just the man to do it as well." She smirked at the boy. "And while he's here, you won't be able to leave to play hero in the city, not until he leaves, as he won't know about your little webby secrete."

Peter ground his teeth together before shaking his head with his hands in the air. "Whatever! Do as you want!"

Rhodey snorted as he watched the scene. That kid really was a whole lot like Tony than what he thought before.

PM

It was the third day of being babysat by some guy that Pepper had hired. It was annoying and Peter did all he could to avoid the person that was supposed to keep an eye on him and Morgan. Which was easy as he hid away in the lab where the other couldn't enter.

He was there when the babysitter arrived and when they left. Pepper knew he did this, but didn't mind as Morgan was allowed in most times and could leave whenever. She knew better than to allow the babysitter codes to the lab and so left the teen be. As long as he wasn't sneaking her daughter out to go web slinging, everything was fine.

The only thing that really annoyed him was the fact that Morgan would talk about 'Wessy' all of the time. How they played all the games and ate all the food and made all the cookies and so many other things as well. It irritated Peter but he didn't want to meet this "Wessy'.

His spider senses were tingling lightly in the back of his head. Tickling his senses and making him cringe whenever Morgan mentioned it and it drove him nuts.

So he made sure he was here the entire time until the man left. He doubted Pepper would listen to him if he told about his sense, probably think he was trying to get rid of the babysitter just because they were there to babysit.

He growled to himself as he welded some wires together, before tapping at the holo-screen that had the blueprints on. It just itched at his senses and drove him nuts. He needed them to stop but he knew they wouldn't until this babysitter left.

He'd be able to relax when he did and it was just him, Morgan, and Pepper once more.

PM

His skin was crawling.

It itched and his entire body screamed at him to do SOMETHING!

The only thing was that he had no idea why.

Everything in him was screaming and nothing he did could abate it. Not even when this babysitter left.

It had been a few weeks now since they had been stuck with the babysitter. Peter had managed to hide in the lab the entire time and avoided this babysitter. Though as time went on, he became more and more irritable and defensive. Something was wrong but he wasn't sure what.

He wasn't the only one who was changing as well. Morgan had changed in a way that had Peter flinching in flashbacks of his own. He wasn't liking what he was seeing, even though Pepper just thought it was because she was finally reacting to Tony having passed.

Peter knew better than that though.

The little girl was acting out, biting anyone that could potentially get near and hurt her, skittish and flinching at those around her and their movements. This was too much like what Peter was like when he was younger, after he had met that man.

All of those mannerisms that she had, all reflected Peter's own that he had fought hard to get rid of.

"Looks like I'll have to meet this man after all." He muttered as he looked down at his current project. It was a simple mini camera that he'd be able to stick to a wall and it would turn invisible so that it could take surveillance for him if he ever needed it. It was simple and he made it quickly, so he'd be able to use it in the next day. He made several to make sure that he had different angles and views, all able to take audio as well. He'd make sure that whatever this guy was doing, he'd catch it on camera.

He sighed as he stood up and stretched. He could go and set the cameras up and then he'd go and check on Morgan. He knew that she had gotten into a fighting match with her mom that day, so checking on her would help a great deal. He had to reassure her all would be well, especially with big brother Peter on the case.

With that in mind, he went to the living room and quickly put several of his mini cameras there, then two in the kitchen, one near the bathroom and the hallway with it, and then he entered Morgan's room where he set one next to the door and then one at the back of Morgan's bed. He stood next to it as he looked down at her, watching her breathe.

"I know you're faking."

It took a moment before she sniffed and turned to look up at him with teary eyes. "Petey." She whined in that small voice of hers when she was so sad and heartbroken. He had only heard it when Pepper refused to get a kitten or a puppy, saying they were too busy and she was too young for such a responsibility.

"Hey munchkin." He said gently as he settled on the edge of her bed, holding a hand out towards her and waiting.

She looked at him with those intelligent brown eyes of hers. Much like her father's. She looked him over wary about moving towards him and didn't that just make him ache in a way that he despised.

It took minutes before she slowly and carefully moved herself into those arms and he carefully wrapped them around her. His hold was loose and he didn't move to keep a tight hold. She'd have a way out if she wanted to take it. "Wanna tell me what's going on?"

She snuggled against his side, wrapping her hands into his shirt, but stayed silent. That was okay, he wasn't going to force her to talk if she didn't want to. They had the rest of the night and then most of tomorrow if that's what it took. He'd even hide her away in the lab and away from Wessy if needed.

Pepper would just have to live with it.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there, just holding onto the little girl in his arms and keeping his hands where she could see them. On her shoulders and away from anywhere that could be a touchy place. He didn't want to cause an episode if he could help it, especially if his thoughts on what was going on was true.

"Petey?" She finally whispered, startling him. He had almost been convinced that she had fallen asleep. "I don't like Wessy anymore."

He hummed as he looked down at those curly brown locks of hair. "Do you want me to come and stay with you while he's here?" He wouldn't be able to prove anything if he hid in his lab, even with the cameras up and settled to where they would catch anything.

She nodded her head and that settled that for Peter. He would be meeting Wessy the next day for the first time.

PM

"Oh, Peter, you're going to be up here today?" Pepper questioned as she took in the boy's bedraggled form. Bags were under his eyes bigger than her own Gucci and his skin was pale at the moment. "Where you up late last night again?"

He nodded as he wandered over to the coffee maker, pouring himself his own cup of coffee that was saturated with sugar and cream. He had stayed with Morgan almost all night before moving out into the city. He had to move and try and get the jitters he felt to calm down. His whole being was vibrating with a sort of urgency that he didn't understand. Something had changed since the day before.

He had no clue what it was though.

Either way, it wouldn't matter. "I need a break from the lab." He murmured, hands clasping tightly around his mug. He didn't need to tell her just yet what he suspected going on. He wasn't sure she'd believe him even if he tried to explain. It was his and Morgan's words against this babysitter's own. Without knowing what his reputation was at the moment, it would just end badly if he said something without proof.

"Well, then you can hang out with Morgan and Mr. Wescott then." Her back was turned to him as she poured herself another cup off coffee, missing how his entire body tensed and the blood rushed from his face. "Last I heard, the two were going to make a pillow fort and have a movie marathon. I'm sure you'll all have fun."

"Yeah, of course." He gritted out as he glared at his own cup of coffee. "I'll be sure to let you know how it all goes."

With the video evidence he would no doubt be able to get now that he knew exactly who was going to be here. There was no chance that that man wouldn't do something in the end.

He watched as she walked out of the room, most likely to get Morgan up and ready for the day. He even got told to brush his hair and teeth with a hair ruffle from those delicate hands that had never once harmed him in anyway.

He had to force his body to not flinch. It took all of his efforts and abilities to not react at all and it bothered him that a touch from Pepper could cause him to flinch. It shouldn't, but there was little he could do at this point.

All he could do was wait for Skip Wescott to arrive.

PM

He stayed up on the stairwell where he could watch the front door. Morgan was sat next to him, her grip on his shirt tight and watching with scared eyes. He really didn't want her to be here. He didn't want her to see or hear anything from this man at all, but there was little he could do to actually accomplish that.

Either way, they were both waiting for the man to appear at the door any minute now.

It seemed like forever but the doorbell rang and Pepper answered it. "Ah, hello Mr. Wescott, how are you doing today?" She smiled and stepped aside so that he could enter.

"I'm do rather well today Mrs. Stark. It's a bit chilly outside but rather nice otherwise." He smiled back at her with perfectly white and straight teeth. His blonde hair was slicked back and his eyes were still cold as ice. He wore a turtleneck sweater with blue jeans. "How are you doing today Mrs. Stark?"

The adults chatted while Peter could only stare in horror, taking in the other man in his full glory.

He had been six when he had last seen Skip. His underwear was still bloody and he spent weeks having to use a cushion to sit and he hated getting touched for years afterwards as well. Uncle Ben had been devastated when he had refused to let the older man ruffle his hair, let alone hug him.

He felt his fists tighten so much that it dug into his skin and he could feel the blood well in his thighs. He ignored the taste of iron in his mouth as he bit the inside of his lip, trying to keep from launching up and attacking the other man.

He needed proof before anything else. He had to catch him in the act before he could get him out of the house.

He had already failed once but he wouldn't this time. Skip would be going to jail for rape and molestation of a minor quickly.

He'd just have to make sure that it wasn't Morgan on those cameras.

PM

He helped Morgan set up the pillow fort. He made sure that only Morgan would be able to enter the fort and that he and Skip would have to sit outside of it. There would be no reason for the man to enter if Peter were to stay out of it with him. "We're going to start the movie soon, okay munchkin." He told her as he knelt down, looking into the pile of pillows and blankets, spotting only her hair and eyes. "Whatever happens, no matter the noise or sounds or anything I say, don't come out until your mom gets home."

Morgan nodded her head, tears misting her eyes already.

He nodded once more before he stood up and walked over to the couch where he settled down, on the corner of the couch where he could keep his back covered. He made sure to wear jeans with shorts shoved underneath and a long sleeve shirt with a thick sweater over the top. HE wasn't sure if it was just little kids like Morgan was or if he'd go after Peter as well, but it was a chance he wasn't going to take if he can help it. The more clothes in the way the better in his opinion.

He watched the kitchen entryway, eyes sharp and his ears focused on the sounds of shuffling and popping. The smell of buttered popcorn wafted in and he knew that the other was planning on something. He wasn't sure though.

"You know, it's been some time since we last saw each other, Einstein." The man smirked as he looked at Peter, bowl of popcorn in hand. "I'm rather surprised this is where I'd see you."

Peter scowled as he hunched down into the side of the couch, folding his limbs into himself so that he could protect as much as possible. "I should be saying something like that to you." He remembered the mark on the other man's record. Uncle Ben had made sure there was and it should have been picked up as soon as Pepper did a background check.

"Ah, yes, that pesky little mark in my files." The man popped a piece of popcorn in his mouth as he leaned back. "It took some doing and a lot of money, but I eventually got it erased and cleared completely from my files." His grin was completely arrogant. "As for what he did back then, well, I guess I could always take it out on you in turn. Especially now that you've no longer got that irritating uncle of yours to protect you."

Peter grit his teeth as he pushed himself back even further, or at least as far as the couch would let him. He didn't want this man anywhere near him nor Morgan, he wanted him gone, but it would take some time just yet.

As long as he kept his grubby hands off of the munchkin then it wouldn't matter in the end.

"If I remember, last time we were together we were going to watch a movie while we had a little fun at the same time." Skip picked up the remote and the TV turned on, the sound of moans instantly bounced off the walls, ricocheting all around him. "How about we start from where we began."

Peter gulped as he a hand wrapped around his ankle and pulled him towards the other. He gritted his teeth but didn't use any of his powers to stop what would occur.

PM

"Petey?" Morgan called once Skip had left for the day.

"Stay there Morgan." His voice was firm but there was a wobble to it. "Don't come out." The sound of a sob just about ripped out of him.

She whimpered but didn't leave the pillow fort, head buried back in the pillows where she had hidden from the strange sounds on the TV and the ones that were coming from behind her on the couch. She didn't know what had happened and she had a feeling that she didn't want to know.

So instead, she listened to her older brother and stayed in the pillow fort, with her face buried in the pillows and blankets so that she didn't have to see the TV where Spongebob was playing or anything else around her.

PM

He hurt. He hurt so much.

But there was a reason why he had allowed what had happened to occur. He needed the proof, he needed to show what Skip Wescott was like and be able to keep him away from Morgan.

That didn't mean it didn't hurt and that the pain he felt just consumed him.

It hurt so much. He wanted to curl up and die.

"Please." He whispered as he hid his face in the dirty couch and rubbed his face against the cushions. "Please."

He had to get up. He had to move. He had to make sure that he could get those cameras and the video feed to where he needed them to be. HE had to start moving and get to them, he had to do it.

Only, he wasn't sure he could move.

Even with his healing factor, he was only healing so much. There was so much damage done and it pained him to admit, but he thought he might need help.

He pulled himself towards the edge of the couch, forcing his legs up and over the edge of the couch to sit up and then to stand up. He gritted his teeth and swung his legs over, pausing to take deep breaths. He wasn't sure he'd be able to stand up, but he had to try.

He moved to sit up.

Only to scream as the pain raced through his lower half and up his spine.

There was no way he'd be able to walk, let alone move from here.

"Petey!" His head whipped to where he could see Morgan's little form struggling to get out of the Pillow fort.

"Stay there!" He shouted, stopping her movements. "Don't come out. Stay there." He gulped as he looked back down at his other half, staring at the blood and cum staining the couch. He wasn't sure how Skip thought he was going to hide that, but apparently the man had been too eager and too careless to try and hide it like he had before.

He sobbed as the pain radiated, familiar and hated all together.

The feeling of the mixed fluids dripping down his thighs made him gag and the bile flowing up his throat was choking him.

He couldn't hold it.

The smell of vomit and blood was just making him even more nauseous.

The sound of the front door opening caused him to retch again.

He wasn't cleaned up yet.

He welcomed the darkness that encompassed him.

PM

_"You've done really well protecting her, you know that right?"  
_

_"Better than you have." He grumbled as he looked up at a familiar face. His head was in the other's lap and he knew this was something similar to what had happened when he talked to Aunt May forever ago. _

_ The man chuckled as he ruffled the teen's hair. "Well, it's not like I could fight against death forever." _

_ "That's not what I meant!" Peter growled as he sat up and glared at the man. "There had to be a way where you would have survived! There had to be another way! If we only looked for it, we could have found one! I'm sure of it!" He yelled at the other man and glared. Pain welled up in his chest as he stared at the face of Tony Stark. "You left her! Because all you did was the first thing that popped into your head!" _

_ "I didn't have time Peter." Tony shook his head as he took the teen in. "You know as well as I did that there was no time to think. There was only time to act and that's what I did. It cost me my life, but it also saved millions, billions, and trillions of lives."_

_ "But Morgan needs you!" Peter screamed as tears began to flow down his face. He didn't know when they stood up, but they were facing each other now, meeting the other's eyes head on. "Morgan needs you but you aren't there! You left her behind and there's so many things that she can't keep herself safe from!" _

_ It was silent as the two thought about this, about the little girl that was back in that little cabin, being cuddled by her mother after such a terrifying event. One caused by a human and not a monster or alien. Someone they should've been able to trust but in the end had betrayed them. _

_ "I admit, that's something I regret greatly." Tony sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose before looking at the teen with a smile. So warm and gentle as he leaned forward so they were on eye level, his big warm and calloused hand on Peter's cheek. "But she has an even better protector now." _

_ He sobbed as he slapped a hand against the man's chest, not hard enough to push away, but hard enough to sting if he felt it. "I'll always protect her. Better than you can ever hope to do." _

_ "I know you will and I'm so proud of you for that Peter." He agreed as he pulled the other into his arms and hugged him, ignoring the way the teen's fingers clawed into his shirt and ugly sobs escaped those young lips. "But you need to protect yourself as well as Morgan. You can't keep her safe if your dead."  
All Peter could do was sob as he clung to the man that had been like a father to him._

PM

All she could do was cry as she listened to her uncle Rhodey yell out explicatives. She didn't understand all that was happening, all she knew it was horrible. Her big brother had been hurt and all she could do was hide and listen to it as it happened.

She didn't understand why it had happened, but she understood that what her brother had done had saved her. Just like he had saved some of those people on the streets as Spider-Man. He had saved her, but he had lost something as well, just like her daddy had when he saved the world but had to leave.

Even now, she could hear him screaming in the cabin, even as buried as she was in her mommy's shoulder and hidden away by her arms, she could hear him.

His screams, uncle Rhodey's explicatives, and the humming of her mommy as she tried to calm the little girl.

It all scared her.

But the biggest thing on her mind was whether Petey was going to go away just like her daddy had.

PM

In the end, Peter got what he wished for.

Skip ended up in jail for molestation and rape of minors. Once Peter had caught him on film for the rape, there was no denying it. It helped that Morgan had explained what had been happening to her as well, luckily she had never been penetrated, but the touches in areas she didn't like still occurred.

The doll they brought out for her to show where she was touched was creepy in his opinion, but it helped her to explain, and that was enough.

It was when they turned the doll to him that he absolutely refused. "He raped me. He raped me when I was six and he raped me now. It's all on camera so go and watch it if you want a goddamn detail."

Pepper had to spend a solid half an hour calming him down, but when he did, he talked. He had spend years hiding what had happened, but now wasn't the time to try and hide it all. He explained everything. How he met Skip when he was younger and what had occurred. What Uncle Ben had done when he had told the man what had happened.

He then explained to how he felt like Morgan's behavior was too familiar and had set up cameras to keep an eye on her and her babysitter. He had only chosen to join his little sister when Pepper had said a familiar name.

"Why didn't you say anything about it before I left for work?" Pepper asked as she looked at the boy in the hospital bed. Morgan was sat on his lap, face buried in his neck as the two huddled together for comfort.

"Would you even believe me?" He asked her with tired eyes. "There was no reason to believe that he was doing anything to Morgan at all. Even when she tried to explain it to you, you just thought it was her acting out." He rubbed the little girl's back in understanding, knowing now what had been happening.

Pepper flinched as she remembered the yelling. About how Morgan didn't need Wessy to babysit her anymore and that she and Petey would be just fine without him. "I can understand that, but we need to be able to work together Peter. So I need you to promise, if something like this happens again, you'll come and talk to me."

Peter sighed but nodded his head. "I'll try." He agreed. After all, that's what he needed to do to protect Morgan. He had to protect himself as well, so he could protect her for as long as he was alive.

Just like Tony wanted him to.

PM

A.N. I know this touched upon a subject that none of us like to think about. It's a hard one, for anyone. The reason why I wrote this one is because recently, my niece is going through something similar, with someone we all thought we could trust. Turns out it was all a lie and now she's hurting in a way that I can't fix. We've already taken steps to protect her and anyone one else that's hurt by that man. But at the same time, we're losing family because of it. It hurts, but I know it was what was needed to be done to protect her from him, even if it means splitting the family apart. IF they can't understand why it happened in the first place and our reasons for taking the steps needed to protect a ten year old girl, then they aren't family. Its simple as that.

But that doesn't mean I get to hurt myself just to protect her. I need to stay in good shape to do so, so I haven't done anything stupid that could take me away from her. I haven't gone after the bastard and I haven't even tried to dig his grave out in my field to hide the body. Because killing him wouldn't help her. Killing him would just take me away from her and I need to be here to protect her. So remember, no matter how much you want to kill someone, sometimes its better to just be there for the one hurt instead. I hope you all are okay and that if you need to talk, you have someone to talk to. If you need to, IM me and I will be more than happy to listen and speak with you about anything that you need.

Be there for each other and have each other's backs, no matter what. I love you all and hope you all are safe and happy, and if you aren't, that you'll use one of these numbers to help get there!

Suicide: 1-800-273-8255

Bullying: 1-800-420-1479

Self-Harm:1-800-366-8288

Sexual Assault: 1-800-656-4673

Lifeline: 1-800-784-8433

Greif Support: 1-650-321-3438

Depression: 1-630-482-9696

Drug/Alcohol: 1-877-235-4525

Eating Disorder: 1-630-577-1330

Mental Health: 1-800-442-9673

Abuse: 1-800-799-7233


End file.
